A new aldehyde compound from the fruit of Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Du Roi

From the fruit of Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Du Roi, one new (1) and six known aldehyde compounds (2–7) were isolated by various chromatography methods. Based on their spectroscopic data, these compounds were identified as (Z)-4-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl) benzaldehyde (1), p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (2), syringaldehyde (3), (E)-ferulaldehyde (4), (E)-sinapinaldehyde (5), vanillin (6) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfual (7). The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of all compounds was measured. The isolated compounds (1–6) showed better α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ values ranging from 36.5 to 192.4 μM) than the standard drug acarbose (IC₅₀ = 214.5 μM).     

Filament stretching of carbon nanotube suspensions

This paper reports the application of a recently developed filament stretching protocol for the study of the extensional rheology of both treated and untreated carbon nanotubes (CNT) suspended within an epoxy resin. It was experimentally observed that filaments formed by treated and untreated CNT suspensions behaved differently after initial stretching. The filament thinning process of the base epoxy was consistent with a simple Newtonian fluid, whilst the filament of treated CNT suspensions also thinned in a Newtonian way but with an enhanced extensional viscosity. Filaments formed with untreated CNT suspensions behaved in a non-uniform way with local fluctuation in filament diameter, and it was not possible to obtain reliable extensional viscosity data. Irregularity of the untreated CNT filaments was consistent with coupled optical images, where spatial variation in CNT aggregate concentration was observed. In the case of treated CNT suspensions, the enhanced extensional viscosity was modelled in terms of the alignment of CNTs in the stretching direction, and the degree of alignment was subsequently estimated using a simple orientation model.     

Bifurcation indicator for geometrically nonlinear elasticity using the Method of Fundamental Solutions

In the present work, we propose a numerical analysis of instability and bifurcations for geometrically nonlinear elasticity problems. These latter are solved by using the Asymptotic Numerical Method (ANM) associated with the Method of Fundamental Solutions (MFS). To compute bifurcation points and to determine the critical loads, we propose three techniques. The first one is based on a geometrical indicator obtained by analyzing the Taylor series. The second one exploits the properties of the Padé approximants, and the last technique uses an analytical bifurcation indicator. Numerical examples are studied to show the efficiency and the reliability of the proposed algorithms.     

Nontrivial solutions to boundary value problems for semilinear strongly degenerate elliptic differential equations

In this paper we study boundary value problems for semilinear equations involving strongly degenerate elliptic differential operators. Via a Pohozaev??s type identity we show that if the nonlinear term grows faster than some power function then the boundary value problem has no nontrivial solution. Otherwise when the nonlinear term grows slower than the same power function, by establishing embedding theorems for weighted Sobolev spaces associated with the strongly degenerate elliptic equations, then applying the theory of critical values in Banach spaces, we prove that the problem has a nontrivial solution, or even infinite number of solutions provided that the nonlinear term is an odd function.     

Kinetics of photocatalytic degradation of gaseous p-xylene on UiO-66-NH2 and LaFeO3 thin films under combined illumination of ultraviolet and visible lights

The thin film photocatalysts were prepared from solvothermal UiO-66-NH₂ and sol-gel perovskite LaFeO₃ by a dip-coating technique. The properties of obtained catalysts were investigated by the methods of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller adsorption, XRD, SEM, FT-IR, TGA, and UV-vis spectroscopies. The results proved that the thin film of the thickness of 4.2 and 4.7 µm was successfully prepared from micro-mesoporous UiO-66-NH₂ and LaFeO₃ nanocrystals. Possessing small crystals (9-35 nm) and the band gap energy of 2.83 and 1.92 eV, respectively, UiO-66-NH₂ and LaFeO₃ are shown to be a highly active visible-light photocatalyst for photodegradation of p-xylene-contained gas. The kinetics of photocatalytic degradation of p-xylene under combined illumination of ultraviolet and visible lights over obtained UiO-66-NH₂ and LaFeO₃ thin films were carried out in a gradientless flow circulating system at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The results showed that the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model was successfully applied to correlate the obtained data. The kinetics of the reaction on both catalysts were found to be written by the fractional equation, describing the dependence of the reaction rate on the concentration of p-xylene, oxygen molecules, dissociative adsorbed water vapor, the photon flux, and the inhibition of CO₂ product. It implies that the reaction occurred at high surface coverages, molecular p-xylene, and oxygen participated in the reaction in the form of surface molecular; water—in the forms of ^•OH and H⁺. Although there is a general kinetic equation for reaction on various catalysts, the different affinities of the catalysts with the compounds present in the reaction create the kinetic feature of the reaction on each catalyst. Because of the high affinity of catalysts with water vapor, the given reactant increased the rate of p-xylene photocatalytic degradation at low concentration but inhibited it in the high concentration region. The adsorption affinity of LaFeO₃ to oxygen is higher compared to UiO-66-NH₂; then, there was an optimum concentration of oxygen in the photodegradation of p-xylene on the former, whereas in the latter monotonically increasing relationship was found.     

Fermentation of Jamaican Cherries Juice Using Lactobacillus plantarum Elevates Antioxidant Potential and Inhibitory Activity against Type II Diabetes-Related Enzymes

Jamaican cherry (Muntinga calabura Linn.) is tropical tree that is known to produce edible fruit with high nutritional and antioxidant properties. However, its use as functional food is still limited. Previous studies suggest that fermentation with probiotic bacteria could enhance the functional properties of non-dairy products, such as juices. In this study, we analyze the metabolite composition and activity of Jamaican cherry juice following fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum FNCC 0027 in various substrate compositions. The metabolite profile after fermentation was analyzed using UPLC-HRMS-MS and several bioactive compounds were detected in the substrate following fermentation, including gallic acid, dihydrokaempferol, and 5,7-dihydroxyflavone. We also found that total phenolic content, antioxidant activities, and inhibition of diabetic-related enzymes were enhanced after fermentation using L. plantarum. The significance of its elevation depends on the substrate composition. Overall, our findings suggest that fermentation with L. plantarum FNCC 0027 can improve the functional activities of Jamaican cherry juice.     

Kinetics of the total oxidation of para-xylene and its mixtures with carbon monoxide over supported copper catalysts

The kinetics of the total oxidation of para-xylene and its mixtures with CO over alumina-supported copper catalysts has been investigated at atmospheric pressure in the temperature range from 200 to 270°C. The reactions over the catalysts 10%CuO/γ-Al₂O₃ and (10%CuO + 20%CeO₂)/γ-Al₂O₃ obey the same kinetic equations in fractional rational form. These equations imply that the reactions occur at medium surface coverages of adsorbed substances and differ only in numerical values of constants. The simultaneous oxidation of para-xylene and CO reveals a complicated mutual influence associated with the formation of new intermediates inducing a change in the kinetics of the process.     

New printed circuit heat exchanger with S-shaped fins for hot water supplier

A new PCHE with an S-shaped fin configuration was applied to a hot water supplier in which cold water of 7 °C is warmed to 90 °C through heat-exchange with supercritical CO₂ of 118 °C and 11.5 MPa pressure. The fin and plate configurations were determined using 3D CFD simulations for the CO₂ side and H₂O side and the thermal–hydraulic performance of hot water supplier was evaluated. Compared with a hot water supplier that is currently used in a residential heat pump, the new PCHE provides about 3.3 times less volume; and lower pressure drop by 37% in the CO₂ side and by 10 times in H₂O side.     

A time‐marching finite element method for an electromagnetic scattering problem

In this paper, Newmark time‐stepping scheme and edge elements are used to numerically solve the time‐dependent scattering problem in a three‐dimensional polyhedral cavity. Finite element methods based on the variational formulation derived in Van and Wood (Adv. Comput. Math., to appear) are considered. Existence and uniqueness of the discrete problem is proved by using Babuska–Brezzi theory. Finite element error estimate and stability of the Newmark scheme are also established. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.