The influence of La2O3 and TiO2 on NiO/MgO/α-Al2O3

Summary The effect of La₂O₃ and TiO₂ on product selectivity, methane conversion and coke formation over NiO/MgO/ α -Al₂O₃ catalyst were studied in a simultaneous steam and CO₂ reforming of methane to syngas. La₂O₃ and TiO₂ were added to the catalyst via incipient wetness impregnation and bulk precipitation techniques and catalyst activity was tested in a fixed bed quartz reactor. Results reveal that although the addition of these oxides has no effect on the product selectivity and methane conversion, but can reduce coke formation on the surface of the catalysts as it can enhance the mobility of lattice oxygen anions. The results further show that the catalysts prepared by bulk precipitation technique decrease the coke formation more effectively.     

Fischer–Tropsch synthesis: evaluation of Gd and Ru promoters effect on Co/<Emphasis Type="Italic">γ</Emphasis>-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> catalyst at different conditions

In this study, the effect of Ru and Gd promoters on 15Co/\(\gamma\)-Al₂O₃ catalyst in the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis is investigated. The catalysts were synthesized by dry impregnation method and characterized by XRD, adsorption/desorption of nitrogen, TPR, TEM, ICP and XPS analyses. Activity and selectivity of the catalysts were examined in a fixed bed reactor at 210–230 °C with a H₂/CO ratio of 2 and atmospheric pressure. The results showed that the Ru-promoted catalyst has the highest activity and methane selectivity which reduce the chain growth probability. The Gd-promoted catalyst was shown smaller particle size and higher dispersion of cobalt particles in compared with unpromoted catalyst. The smaller particles have more interaction and thus show the lower catalyst reducibility. The presence of Gd in the catalyst cause higher chain growth probability compared to the unpromoted one. The Ru–Gd-promoted catalysts were shown a synergic effect in the catalyst reducibility. Based on the screening of the catalysts in the atmospheric pressure; the unpromoted, 0.1Ru/15Co/Al₂O₃, and 0.1Ru1Gd/15Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts were selected to test at high pressure conditions, which the 0.1Ru1Gd/15Co catalyst showed the highest C₅ ⁺ selectivity (75%) compared with the 0.1Ru/15Co/Al₂O₃ and the unpromoted one.     

Application of 1,4-Diaminoanthraquinone as a New Sensing Material for Fabrication of a Iron(III)-Selective Modified Carbon Paste Electrode

In the present work, a novel sensitive electrochemical potentiometric sensor for sensing Fe³⁺ ions based on 1,4-diaminoanthraquinone (DAQ) as a hydrophobic selector element was prepared to implement as an ion selective carbon paste electrode in the aqueous solutions. The adequate amounts of ionophore (5%), paraffin oil (25%) as a binder, Nanosilica (NS: 0.5%) multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs: 1%) as a modifier, and graphite powder (68.5%) as an inert matrix was occupied to form the paste. This new FeCP sensor demonstrated a Nernstian slope of 19.7 ± 0.7 mV per decade over widish linear range between 1.0 × 10^–8 to 1.0 × 10^–2 mol L^–1 at working pH range of 1.9–5.0 in the optimized conditions. The average elapsed time to response of electrode was about ~6 s for concentrations from lower (1.0 × 10^?8 mol L^–1) to higher (1.0 × 10^?2 mol L^–1) of Fe³⁺ ion solution. The selectivity of electrode toward Fe³⁺ ions in comparison with other cations was studied by matched potential method. The making FeCP sensor has been put to use successfully as an indicator electrode in analytical applications such as the potentiometric titration and determination of iron(III) ion in blend of different ions.     

Ionophore Properties of Schiff Base Compounds as Ion Sensing Molecules for Fabricating Cu(II) Ion-Selective Electrodes

Bis(2-hydroxybenzaldehyde)-1,2-diaminoethane (L^I), bis(2-hydroxybenzaldehyde)-1,3-diaminopropane (L^II) and bis(2-hydroxybenzaldehyde)-4,4'-methylendianiline (L^III) were examined as ionophores for fabrication of polyvinylchloride (PVC) membrane Cu(II) ion-selective potentiometric sensors. The optimum composition (%) for the sensors was: 5 L^I, 30 PVC, 6 sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB), 59 ortho-nitrophenyloctyl ether (NPOE); 4 L^II, 30 PVC, 5 NaTPB, 61 dibutyl phthalate; 6 L^III, 30 PVC, 5 NaTPB, 59 NPOE. The linear response range of the electrodes was 5 × 10^–4–0.05 (L^I), 5 × 10^–4–0.1 (L^II) and 1 × 10^–6–0.01 M (L^III), and the corresponding detection limits were 4 × 10^–4, 4 × 10^–4 and 2 × 10^–7 M, respectively. The sensors were showed rapid response time (≈10 s). Their responses were independent on pH in the range 2.5–5.0 (L^I), 3.2–4.7 (L^II) and 4.0–5.0 (L^III). The selectivity of the prepared electrodes towards copper ions over some mono-, di- and trivalent metal ions was evaluated. The sensors were used as indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of copper ions in aqueous solutions.     

Construction of a new Ho<Superscript>3+</Superscript> PVC-membrane electrochemical sensor based on <Emphasis Type="Italic">N,N</Emphasis>′-dipyridoxyl(1,4-butanediamine)

N,N′-dipyridoxyl(1, 4-butanediamine) (PYBA) (2 wt % ), nitrobenzene (66 wt %), sodium tetra phenyl borate (2 wt ), and poly vinyl chloride (30 wt %) were applied to create a PVC membrane in Ho³⁺ selective electrode (Ho-SE). Over the concentration range of 1.0 × 10^?5 to 1.0 × 10^?2 M in holmium(III) solution a linear response with lower detection of limit equal 4.0 × 10^?6 M was exhibited by new holmium(III) sensor. Ho-SE possessed a Nernstian slope of 20.1 ± 0.8 mV decade^?1 in very short time spans (~9 s). The potential response of electrode remains without any changes over a pH range of 2.77–8.71. The selectivity coefficient data which was considered by matched potential method for variety of common cations indicated no significant interference. An acceptable recovery for Ho³⁺ in the blend of several cations has been achieved. The utility of Ho-SE in potentiometric titration as an end point indicator electrode gave successfully results.     

Soyasapogenol-B as a Potential Multitarget Therapeutic Agent for Neurodegenerative Disorders: Molecular Docking and Dynamics Study

Neurodegenerative disorders involve various pathophysiological pathways, and finding a solution for these issues is still an uphill task for the scientific community. In the present study, a combination of molecular docking and dynamics approaches was applied to target different pathways leading to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Initially, abrineurin natural inducers were screened using physicochemical properties and toxicity assessment. Out of five screened compounds, a pentacyclic triterpenoid, i.e., Soyasapogenol B appeared to be the most promising after molecular docking and simulation analysis. Soyasapogenol B showed low TPSA (60.69), high absorption (82.6%), no Lipinski rule violation, and no toxicity. Docking interaction analysis revealed that Soyasapogenol B bound effectively to all of the targeted proteins (AChE, BuChE MAO-A, MAO-B, GSK3β, and NMDA), in contrast to other screened abrineurin natural inducers and inhibitors. Importantly, Soyasapogenol B bound to active site residues of the targeted proteins in a similar pattern to the native ligand inhibitor. Further, 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations analysis showed that Soyasapogenol B formed stable complexes against all of the targeted proteins. RMSD analysis showed that the Soyasapogenol B–protein complex exhibited average RMSD values of 1.94 Å, 2.11 Å, 5.07 Å, 2.56 Å, 3.83 Å and 4.07 Å. Furthermore, the RMSF analysis and secondary structure analysis also indicated the stability of the Soyasapogenol B–protein complexes.     

GC-MS Analysis and Microbiological Evaluation of Caraway Essential Oil as a Virulence Attenuating Agent against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The emergence of resistant microbes threatens public health on our planet, and the emergence of resistant bacteria against the most commonly used antibiotics necessitates urgent alternative therapeutic options. One way to fight resistant microbes is to design new antimicrobial agents, however, this approach takes decades of research. An alternative or parallel approach is to target the virulence of bacteria with natural or synthetic agents. Active constituents from medicinal plants represent a wide library to screen for natural anti-virulence agents. Caraway is used as a traditional spice and in some medicinal applications such as carminative, antispasmodic, appetizer, and expectorant. Caraway essential oil is rich in terpenes that were previously reported to have antimicrobial activities. In our study, we tested the caraway essential oil in sub-inhibitory concentration as a virulence agent against the Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Caraway essential oil in sub-inhibitory concentration dramatically blocked protease activity, pyocyanin production, biofilm formation, and quorum sensing activity of P. aeruginosa. The gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) profile of caraway fruit oil identified 13 compounds representing 85.4% of the total oil components with carvone and sylvestrene as the main constituents. In conclusion, caraway essential oil is a promising virulence-attenuating agent that can be used against topical infections caused by P. aeruginosa.     

Dielectric behaviour of cellulose acetate-based polymer electrolytes

The present work deals with the findings on the dielectric behaviour of cellulose acetate (CA) and its complexes consisting of ammonium tetrafluoroborate (NH₄BF₄) and polyethylene glycol with a molecular weight of 600?g/mol (PEG₆₀₀) that were prepared using the solution casting method. The highest ?? obtained for CA-NH₄BF₄ film was 2.18?×?10^?7 S cm^?1 and enhanced to 1.41?×?10^?5 S cm^?1 with the addition of 30?wt.% PEG₆₀₀. The dielectric behaviours of the selected samples were analyzed using complex impedance Z*, complex admittance A*, complex permittivity ?*, and complex electric modulus M*-based frequency and temperature dependence in the range of 10?Hz?C1?MHz and 303?C363?K, respectively. The variation in dielectric permittivity (?? _r and ?? _i) as a function of frequency at different temperatures exhibits a dispersive behaviour at low frequencies and decays at higher frequencies. The variation in dielectric permittivity as a function of temperature at different frequencies is typical of polar dielectrics in which the orientation of dipoles is facilitated with the rising temperature, and thereby the permittivity is increased. Modulus analysis was also performed to understand the mechanism of electrical transport process, whereas relaxation time was determined from the variation in loss tangent with temperature at different frequencies.     

Analysis of exergy and parametric study of a v-corrugated solar air heater

Solar air heater requires investigation for enhancement of solar energy conversion into heat. Different configurations with various artificial roughness geometries are proposed to date. In present study attention is paid on ways leading to more delivery of exergy by a v-corrugated solar air heater through parametric study. Effects of aspect ratio of the collector, inlet air temperature, mass flow rate per collector area etc. are studied.