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An iodine-doped activated carbon (named IodAC) was developed by adsorbing molecular iodine (I2) on commercially available activated carbon (AC). Iodine was selected with the purpose to add its well-known antibacterial and antiviral properties to the AC and in order to produce an innovative material for environmental pathogens control and for healthcare-related applications. The impregnation method achieved the goal of strongly adsorbing iodine on the AC surface, since both volatility and water solubility resulted to be negligible, and therefore it did not affect the stability of the material. An antibacterial test (on Escherichia coli) and an antiviral test (on an avian influenza strain) were conducted, showing the effectiveness of IodAC against the pathogens. In addition, IodAC was also compared to slaked lime (a material widely used for disinfection of outdoor spaces and livestock farming areas). The data proved the performance of IodAC against virus and bacteria and also evidenced a more stable and long-lasting disinfecting power of IodAC compared to slaked lime, the later reacting with carbon dioxide and suffering a gradually decrease of its disinfectant power; such drawback does not affect IodAC. Overall, the presented results show that IodAC can be used for a wide range of applications, including as a granular disinfectant for public spaces, for water disinfection, zoonotic diseases countermeasures (e.g., as an animal feed additive for avian influenza control), post-harvest food storage, and sanitization. Its characteristics also indicate its potential to be used for medical treatments, such as for blood, intestinal (for HIV, sepsis, irritable syndrome, ulcerative colitis therapy), and medical supplies (antibacterial bandages, gauze, cotton, etc.) sterilization.

Chiral ionic liquids, starting from (S)-proline, have been prepared and evaluated the ability of a chiral catalyst. InMichael reaction of trans-β-nitrostyrene and cyclohexanone, all the reactions were carried out under homogeneous conditions without any solvent except for excess cyclohexanone. The chiral ionic liquid catalyst with the positive charge delocalized bulky pyrrolidinium cation shows excellent yields (up to 92%), diastereoselectivities (syn/anti = 96/4), and enantioselectivities (up to 95% ee) and could be reused at least three times without any loss of its catalytic activity. Such results demonstrated a promising new approach for green and economic chiral synthesis by using the chiral ionic liquids as a chiral catalyst and a chiral medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Quantitative process management (QPM) and causal analysis and resolution (CAR) are requirements of capability maturity model (CMM) levels 4 and 5, respectively. They indicate the necessity of process improvement based on objective evidence obtained from statistical analysis of metrics. However, it is difficult to achieve these requirements in practice, and only a few companies have done so successfully. Evidence-based risk-management methods have been proposed for the control of software processes, but are not fully appreciated, compared to clinical practice in medicine. Furthermore, there is no convincing answer as to why these methods are difficult to incorporate in software processes, despite the fact that they are well established in some business enterprises and industries. In this article, we challenge this issue, point out a problem peculiar to software processes, and develop a generally applicable method for identifying the risk of failure for a project in its early stages. The proposed method is based on statistical analyses of process measurements collected continuously throughout a project by a risk assessment and tracking system (RATS). Although this method may be directly applicable to only a limited number of process types, the fundamental idea might be useful for a broader range of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]