A simple colorimetric sensor for biologically important anions based on intramolecular charge transfer (ICT)

A sensitive colorimetric sensor (1) based on 4,5-dinitrobenzene-1,2-diamine was designed and synthesized. Binding of anions such as AcO(-), F(-) and H(2)PO(4)(-) results in a notable change in the visible region of spectrum (an approximately 90 nm red shift), which can be detected by the 'naked-eye'. Furthermore, the binding ability was evaluated by UV-vis titration experiments as following: AcO(-) > F(-) > H(2)PO(4) >> Cl(-), Br(-), I(-). The nature of the color change of I induced by AcO(-) was due to the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) which was confirmed by X-ray crystal structure and (1)H NMR titration spectra. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Treatment of high salinity waste water from shale gas exploitation by forward osmosis processes

© 2015 by the American Society of Civil Engineers. All Rights Reserved. This chapter reviews state-of-the-art treatment of shale-gas-produced water with a focus on the treatment of shale-gas flow-back water (SGW) by forward osmosis (FO). It briefly introduces the origin and chemical/physical characteristics of SGW. Management of shale-gas wastewater depends on multidimensional criteria, e.g., local regulations, site conditions, water quality, and economic feasibility. Approaches used to treat high-salinity wastewater include deep well injection, transport and centralized treatment, treatment and disposal, and reuse. The chapter analyzes the advantages and limitations of potential treatments methods and summarizes the process parameters and selection of membrane and draw solutions. Studies were performed to examine the effectiveness of FO in treating high-salinity wastewater produced from shale-gas exploitation. The chapter discusses the potential for using the FO process to treat SGW on a large scale

Colorimetric and fluorogenic anion sensors of 2 '-(p-nitrophenyl)-imidazol[4 ',5 '-f]-1, 10-phenanthroline[5,6-f] and its complex of Ru(bipy)(2)(2+)

2'-(p-nitrophenyl)-imidazol[4',5'-f]-1,10-phenanthroline[5,6-f] (1) and its [image omitted] complex (2) were synthesised and studied for the anion sensing by UV-vis, fluorescence and H-1 NMR titration experiments. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited obviously different changes between reactions with AcO-, F-, H2PO4- and with other halogens, i.e. Cl-, Br-, I-, in any of the UV-vis, fluorescence and H-1 NMR titration spectra in DMSO experiments. With an 89nm red shift, 1 was convenient to be employed to detect anions with the naked eye. Complexed with the electron withdrawing metal ion, 2 had the stronger interaction with anions to be detected than 1 had

WIJAM: a mobile collaborative improvisation platform under Master-players Paradigm

Music jamming is an extremely difficult task for musical novices. Trying to extend this meaningful and highly enjoyable activity to a larger recipient group, we present WIJAM, a mobile application for an ad-hoc group of musical novices to perform improvisation along with a music master. In this master-players' paradigm, the master offers a music backing, orchestrates the musical flow, and gives feedbacks to the players; the players improvise by tapping and sketching on their smartphones. We argue that this paradigm can be a significant contribution to the possibility of music playing by a group of novices with no instrumental training leading to decent musical results.published_or_final_versio

Open porous hydrophilic supported thin-film composite forward osmosis membrane via co-casting for treatment of high-salinity wastewater

© 2016 High-performance thin film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membranes with a low degree of internal concentration polarization (ICP) are critical for concentrating high-salinity wastewaters. This report focuses on the preparation of TFC FO membranes via a sacrificial approach. In order to improve the FO flux, hydrophilicity and morphology of the support membrane were mainly investigated. The hydrophilicity of the polysulfone (PSF) substrate was tuned by blending with sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK), and the resulting SPEEK blended PSF membrane was denoted as SPSF substrate. The pore structure of the SPSF membrane was tailored by the application of a co-casting technique, which yielded a TFC membrane with a structure parameter (S) of 191 μm. In contrast, the TFC membranes based on the PSF and SPSF substrates through single layer casting showed S values of 527 μm and 361 μm, respectively. These results indicate that the combined hydrophilicity and open pore structure are responsible for the lowered S value. Further application of the hydrophilic substrate based TFC membranes in the treatment of high salinity wastewaters (10 wt%) demonstrated the higher initial water flux (28.3 L/m2·h) with a water recovery rate of 53.2% in comparison to the TFC membrane based on the pristine PSF through the single layer casting. This new method paves a way to generate high-performing FO membranes

Ambient-temperature incorporated hydrogen in Nb:SrTiO₃ single crystals

2002-2003 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Enhanced survival and regeneration of axotomized retinal ganglion cells by a mixture of herbal extracts

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Panax quinquefolius L. extract (PQE), Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE), and Hypericum perforatum extract (HPE), in combination or alone, on the survival and regeneration of axotomized retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in an optic nerve transection model in adult hamsters. Unilateral transection of the optic nerve was performed to evaluate the effects of herbal extracts on the survival of axotomized RGCs. Effects of the herbal extracts on axonal regeneration of axotomized RGCs, on the other hand, were studied by attaching a peripheral nerve graft onto the transected ocular stump to induce regeneration. Operated animals received daily oral administration of vehicle or herbal extracts (PQE, GBE, and HPE), alone or in combination, for 7 and 21 days, respectively, in the survival and regeneration experiments. Surviving and regenerating RGCs were retrogradely labeled with Fluoro-Gold. The eyes were then enucleated and the retinas were flat-mounted for the counting of the labeled RGCs. Treatment with PQE, GBE and HPE alone failed to offer neuroprotection to injured RGCs. However, treatment with Menta-FX, a mixture of PQE, GBE, and HPE, significantly augmented RGC survival 7 days postaxotomy. Treatment with Menta-FX also induced a significant (87%) increase in the number of regenerating RGCs 21 days after optic nerve transection. This study demonstrates that herbs can act as a potential neuroprotective agent for damaged RGCs. It also suggests that the therapeutic value of herbal remedies can be maximized by the use of mixtures of appropriate herbs.published_or_final_versio

Concentrating underground brine by FO process: Influence of membrane types and spacer on membrane scaling

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. Forward osmosis (FO) is a low energy process when recovery of the draw solutes is not necessary. This study focused on the performance of the FO process for concentrating underground brine (UGB) with saturated sodium chloride as draw solution (DS) using two membranes: commercialized flat sheet cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane and tailor-made thin film composite (TFC) FO membrane. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and powder X-ray diffractometry (XRD) analysis indicate that, majority of the scaling components were calcium sulfate and sodium chloride crystals formed both through surface and bulk crystallization. The spacer in the FO test cell also promoted scaling. Without spacer, a sharp flux decline of TFC membrane occurred at a higher concentration factor while no sharp flux drop was observed for CTA membrane. It was hypothesized that the rough TFC membrane surface may initiate nucleation and aggregation of the crystals in the active surface, and eventually resulting in scaling

Coronary angiography enhancement for visualization

High quality visualization on X-ray angiograms is of great significance both for the diagnosis of vessel abnormalities and for coronary interventions. Algorithms for improving the visualization of detailed vascular structures without significantly increasing image noise are currently demanded in the market. A new algorithm called stick-guided lateral inhibition (SGLI) is presented for increasing the visibility of coronary vascular structures. A validation study was set up to compare the SGLI algorithm with the conventional unsharp masking (UM) algorithm on 20 still frames of coronary angiographic images. Ten experienced QCA analysts and nine cardiologists from various centers participated in the validation. Sample scoring value (SSV) and observer agreement value (OAV) were defined to evaluate the validation result, in terms of enhancing performance and observer agreement, respectively. The mean of SSV was concluded to be 77.1 ± 11.9%, indicating that the SGLI algorithm performed significantly better than the UM algorithm (P-value < 0.001). The mean of the OAV was concluded to be 70.3%, indicating that the average agreement with respect to a senior cardiologist was 70.3%. In conclusion, this validation study clearly demonstrates the superiority of the SGLI algorithm in the visualization of coronary arteries from X-ray angiograms