Thermal Deamination-anation in Cobalt(III) Thiocyanate Complexes. Novel decarbonylation of the equatorial amide ligand

The solid state thermal behavior of trans-[Co(bpb)(amine)2]NCS⋅H2O complexes where (bpb)=[N,N'-bis(2-pyridinecarboxamido-N)-1,2-benzene], and amine=pyrrolidine (prldn)(1), and benzylamine (bzlan) (2), and trans-[Co(bpb)(piperidine)2]ClO4⋅H2O (3) (mixed with KSCN), has been studied using thermoanalytical techniques, infrared spectroscopy, and pyrolysis coupled to both infrared and mass spectrometry, PY/FTIR and PY/MS. The deamination-anation reaction is clearly observed for all three complexes. The estimated values of E a for the deamination-anation are: E a(1)=246.8 kJ mol−1, E a(2)=255.7 kJ mol−1, E a(3)=234.7 kJmol−1. The trend in E a values is rationalized based on the ligand field strength of the amines and the structural effects. A novel decarbonylation of the amide CO group from the equatorial ligand is observed after the release of one amine molecule. This process has been monitored for complex (1) by FTIR in the carbonyl region and by mass spectrometry for the detection of CO2 at 280°C. The activation energy of this process is estimated for complex (1) (662.5 kJ mol−1). The reaction scheme for the observed reactions is propose

Radiographic knee osteoarthritis in ex-elite table tennis players

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Table tennis involves adoption of the semi-flexed knee and asymmetrical torsional trunk movements creating rotational torques on the knee joint which may predispose players to osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. This study aims to compare radiographic signs of knee OA and associated functional levels in ex-elite male table tennis players and control subjects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Study participants were 22 ex-elite male table tennis players (mean age 56.64 ± 5.17 years) with 10 years of involvement at the professional level and 22 non-athletic males (mean age 55.63 ± 4.08 years) recruited from the general population. A set of three radiographs taken from each knee were evaluated by an experienced radiologist using the Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) scale (0-4) to determine radiographic levels of OA severity. The intercondylar distance was taken as a measure of lower limb angulation. Participants also completed the pain, stiffness, and physical function categories of the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) 3.1 questionnaire.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results showed 78.3% of the ex-elite table tennis players and 36.3% of controls had varying signs of radiographic knee OA with a significant difference in the prevalence levels of definite radiographic OA (KL scale > 2) found between the two groups (<it>P </it>≤ 0.001). Based on the WOMAC scores, 68.2% of the ex-elite table tennis players reported symptoms of knee pain compared with 27.3% of the controls (<it>p </it>= 0.02) though no significant differences were identified in the mean physical function or stiffness scores between the two groups. In terms of knee alignment, 73.7% of the ex-elite athletes and 32% of the control group had signs of altered lower limb alignment (genu varum) (<it>p </it>= 0.01). Statistical differences were found in subjects categorized as having radiographic signs of OA and altered lower limb alignment (<it>p </it>= 0.03).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Ex-elite table tennis players were found to have increased levels of radiological signs of OA in the knee joint though this did not transpire through to altered levels of physical disability or knee stiffness in these players when compared with subjects from the general population suggesting that function in these players is not severely impacted upon.</p

Inhibitive effect of sodium (E)-4-(4-nitrobenzylidenamino) benzoate on the corrosion of some metals in sodium chloride solution

The inhibition performance of a novel anionic carboxylic Schiff base, sodium (E)-4-(4-nitrobenzylideneamino)benzoate (SNBB), was investigated for various metals, namely low carbon steel F111, pure iron and copper, in neutral 10 mM NaCl solution. Potentiodynamic polarization, scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET), quantum chemical (QC) calculation, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation were employed. The potentiodynamic polarization data showed that SNBB acts as an effective corrosion inhibitor for both iron and F111 steel, but it is not effective for the copper. In situ spatially-resolved SVET maps evidenced a major change in surface reactivity for Fe and F111 steel immersed in 10 mM aqueous solution in the absence and in the presence of SNBB. Featureless ionic current density distributions were recorded in the presence of SNBB at both their spontaneous open circuit potential (OCP) and under mild anodic polarization conditions, while major ionic flows were monitored above the metals in the absence of SNBB. On the basis of computer simulations, it is proposed that SNBB produces a stable chelate film on iron and steel surfaces that accounts for the good corrosion inhibition efficiency observed. The different inhibition efficiencies of SNBB molecules on the iron and copper was attributed to the special chemical structure of SNBB molecule and its different chelation ability with the released metal ions on the metal surface. The QC calculations also confirmed the high corrosion inhibition efficiency of SNBB. The MD simulation indicated higher binding energy of SNBB on iron surface compared to that of copper surface. The interaction mode of SNBB on iron and F111 steel surfaces corresponds to a mixed chemical and physical adsorption, and it obeys the Langmuir isother

Design Optimization of Iterative Receivers

International audienceIn this paper, we consider design optimization of low-density parity-check (LDPC) coded multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems for high data rate wireless transmission. First, starting from the maximum-likelihood (ML) principle, we devise a novel expectation-maximization (EM)-based scheme for joint estimation of carrier frequency-offset (CFO) and channel coefficients in MIMO-OFDM systems. Based on simulation results, the performance of joint estimator is quite satisfying. Then, this CFO estimator is incorporated into the initialization step of the turbo receiver. Experimental results show the effectiveness of our receiver design in combating CFO over unknown frequency selective fading channels

Battery lifetime performances of radiofrequency systems using the ISO standard KNX-RF multi and Bluetooth low energy for home automation applications

International audienc

Performance and interoperability evaluation of radiofrequency home automation protocols and Bluetooth Low Energy for smart grid and smart home applications

International audienc