On the numerical solution of Sturm-Liouville equations in the theory of molecular diffusion

The Sturm-Liouville equation from Budo's Theory of diffusion in the presence of potential wells is solved numerically for the normalised complex polarisability across the complete range of well depth (Vo/kT) from zero to effectively infinite. For Vo/kT = 0 and Vo/kT = ∞ Debye process is recovered, in excellent agreement with available analytical limits. At intermediate Vo/kT the original Debye process for Vo/kT (free diffusion) is supplemented by a further loss process on the high frequency side. The numerical method used allow us to investigate the origin of this process in terms of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the original Sturm-Liouville equation.     

Characterization of atenolol transformation products in ozonation by using rapid resolution high-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry

This experiment investigated the transformation pathway of atenolol, a widely used β-blocker, in the ozonation process through the identification of generated intermediate compounds. In order to characterize the contribution of ozone and hydroxyl radical (•OH) in the transformation of atenolol, ozonation were performed at pH 2, 7 and 9. 15 major transformation products have been identified based on the chromatographic behavior of these compounds and the information obtained from accurate mass MS and MS/MS spectra. By comparing to the elution pattern of the identified transformation products and its fragmentation pattern in the MS/MS spectrum, a variety of isomers of the transformation products were characterized.Identified transformation products of atenolol are including its mono-, di and tri-hydroxylated derivatives as well as the aliphatic and aromatic ring breakdown products. Transformation of atenolol in the ozonation involved hydroxylation reaction, aromatic ring opening reaction, oxidation and cleavage of 2-hydroxy-3-(isopropylamino)propoxy group of atenolol. In ozonation, aromatic ring of atenolol was transformed through the reaction with both ozone and •OH whereas the aliphatic chain of atenolol was degraded mainly through the reaction with •OH. The results also indicated that both •OH and ozone involved in the aromatic ring opening reaction.     

Industrial noise levels and annoyance in Egypt

Annoyance and increase of accident risk of workers from industrial noise levels in Egypt were studied. 683 workers from 15 Egyptian sites of industry, ranging from food to metal industry were evaluated. The goals of this study are to carry out measurements to evaluate industrial noise levels, are these levels exceeded the permissible levels set by Egyptian noise standard and policy to protect public health of workers?, to examine worker’s attitudes towards industrial noise, to know the relationship between industrial noise levels and degree of annoyance. Results showed that equivalent continuous noise levels ranged from 70 to 100 dB (A). Annoyance of respondents showed that 47.1% were highly annoyed, 5.8% their hearing were harmed. There was a strong relationship between industrial noise levels and percentage of highly annoyed respondents. By increasing industrial noise level possibility of workers to make accident was also increased. Respondents suggest less maximum daily exposure duration than those set by Egyptian law.     

Performance Analysis of Duty-Cycle Division Multiplexing over Wavelength Division Multiplexing System

Abstract

Performance optimization of a duty-cycle division multiplexing system over 8- and 40-channel wavelength division multiplexing networks is reported in this article. The modified duty-cycle division multiplexing system with optical domain multiplexing using a dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulator is simulated with two and three users per wavelength. Using conventional dispersion compensation, the 40 × 40-Gbps system with two and three users per channel can support 240 and 160 km of transmission distance, respectively. The dispersion management technique based on a chirped fiber Bragg grating is proposed for a 40 × 3 × 13.33-Gbps duty-cycle division multiplexing/wavelength division multiplexing system that allows double the transmission distance compared to conventional technique.     

Numerical investigation of boiling heat transfer in a quenching process of jet impingement considering solid temperature distribution

Boiling jet impingements are being widely used in various industries. Hence, a quenching jet impingement is simulated numerically. A solver code based on volume of fluid method was modified to analyze the effects of conjugation and mass transfer, and validated against an experimental study. Then, optimized cooling factor (OCF) was defined to involve temperature uniformity of the block and the cooling rate simultaneously. Subsequently, in laminar two-jet configurations, the effects of velocity inlet function, jet-to-surface and jet-to-jet spacing on standard temperature uniformity index (STUI) and OCF in a highly heated block were investigated. Heaviside function of time for the inlet velocity and periods of pulse between 0 and 0.2 were considered. Some remarkable results are achieved by the proposed configurations. In all cases with pulsating jets, improvements in STUI and OCF relative to pulse-free ones were observed; when V?=?0.4 m s^?1, OCF peaked at 2 in P?=?0.06, which was almost eight times greater than OCF of pulse-free configuration (OCF?=?0.24). As velocity decreased, the temperature uniformity improved; however, OCF showed the highest value at higher velocities occurring for lower periods of pulses. This happens because of more uniform temperature distribution in both plate sides and continual destroying film boiling layers generated on the surface. Also, in a jet-to-jet spacing of about one-third of the block length, for all plate lengths, optimal temperature uniformity with maximum OCF was obtained, due to formation of two stagnation points having the highest heat transfer rate by positioning in an ideal distance from each other.

     

Realization of a low threshold multiwavelength brillouin/erbium fiber laser by optimizing the reflected power

A multiwavelength Brillouin/erbium fiber laser (BEFL) with low threshold power is realized. A low threshold power of 3 mW and a wide tuning range of 18 nm can be achieved by controlling the reflected power in the nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM). Up to 24 lines with a wavelength spacing of 0.086 nm are generated at the Brillouin pump and at the 1 480-nm pump with 0.5 dBm (0.9 mW) and 25 mW of power, respectively.     

Duty-cycle-division-multiplexing: Bit error rate estimation and performance evaluation

An improved estimation of bit-error-rate (BER) for electrically multiplexed duty-cycle division multiplexing (E-DCDM), which is based on the probability of error, is presented. Performance of 3 × 10 Gbit/s E-DCDM is investigated in terms of optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) and dispersion tolerance. This technique requires 29.4 dB OSNR and can tolerate ±96 ps/nm chromatic dispersion for the worst user.     

Bidesmosidic Oleanane Saponins from Xerospermum noronhianum

Three new oleanane‐type triterpenoid saponins, 3‐O‐(α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl(1→2)‐β‐D ‐fucopyranosyl)‐28‐O‐{[α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl(1→2)] [β‐D ‐fucopyranosyl(1→6)]‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl} oleanolic acid ( 1 ), 3‐O‐[α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl(1→3)‐β‐D ‐fucopyranosyl]‐28‐O‐[α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl(1→4)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl] oleanolic acid ( 2 ), and 3‐O‐{α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl(1→2)‐[3′,4′‐diacetoxy‐β‐D ‐fucopyranosyl]}‐28‐O‐[α‐L ‐rhamnopyranosyl(1→2)‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosyl] oleanolic acid ( 3 ) have been isolated from the stems of Xerospermum noronhianum. The structures of the saponins were determined as a series of bidesmosidic oleanane saponins based on spectral evidence. The anticholinesterase activity of the saponins 1 – 3 was also evaluated.     

Bioactivities of Phenolic Compounds from Kiwifruit and Persimmon

Fruit used in the common human diet in general, and kiwifruit and persimmon particularly, displays health properties in the prevention of heart disease. This study describes a combination of bioactivity, multivariate data analyses and fluorescence measurements for the differentiating of kiwifruit and persimmon, their quenching and antioxidant properties. The metabolic differences are shown, as well in the results of bioactivities and antioxidant capacities determined by ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC and DPPH assays. To complement the bioactivity of these fruits, the quenching properties between extracted polyphenols and human serum proteins were determined by 3D-fluorescence spectroscopy studies. These properties of the extracted polyphenols in interaction with the main serum proteins in the human metabolism (human serum albumin (HSA), α-β-globulin (α-β G) and fibrinogen (Fgn)), showed that kiwifruit was more reactive than persimmon. There was a direct correlation between the quenching properties of the polyphenols of the investigated fruits with serum human proteins, their relative quantification and bioactivity. The results of metabolites and fluorescence quenching show that these fruits possess multiple properties that have a great potential to be used in industry with emphasis on the formulation of functional foods and in the pharmaceutical industry. Based on the quenching properties of human serum proteins with polyphenols and recent reports in vivo on human studies, we hypothesize that HSA, α-β G and Fgn will be predictors of coronary artery disease (CAD).     

Brownian motion in potential wells: i) Fine structure in the far infra-red absorption of dipolar liquids

The theory of Brownian motion in cosine potential wells is used to produce fine structures in the far infra-red power absorption coefficient of dipolar liquids in the low friction limit for finite barrier heights. The broad far infra-red absorption profile evolves into many sharp, resonance peaks as the friction coefficient, β→o. The theory lends qualitative support to the recent experimental observation of fine structure in the far infra-red power absorption of acetonitrile - a highly structured liquid whose viscosity is, nonetheless, low in comparison with other molecular liquids at room temperature.