Co3O4/SiO2 nanocomposites for supercapacitor application

In this study, Co₃O₄/SiO₂ nanocomposites have been successfully synthesized by citrate–gel method by utilizing SiO₂ matrix for Co₃O₄ embedment. Spectroscopy analyses confirm the formation of high crystalline Co₃O₄ nanoparticles; meanwhile, microscopy findings reveal that the Co₃O₄ nanoparticles are embedded in SiO₂ matrix. Electrochemical properties of the Co₃O₄/SiO₂ nanocomposites were carried out using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 5 M KOH electrolyte. The findings show that the charge storage of Co₃O₄/SiO₂ nanocomposites is mainly due to the reversible redox reaction (pseudocapacitance). The highest specific capacitance of 1,143 F g ^?1 could be achieved at a scan rate of 2.5 mV s^?1 in the potential region between 0 and 0.6 V. Furthermore, high-capacitance retention (>92 %) after 900 continuous charge–discharge tests reveals the excellent stability of the nanocomposites. It is worth noting from the EIS measurements that the nanocomposites have low ESR value of 0.33 Ω. The results manifest that Co₃O₄/SiO₂ nanocomposites are the promising electrode material for supercapacitor application.     

Orthotropic bone remodeling: case of plane stresses

Cancellous bone is constituted by a porous solid matrix filled with fluid. Matrix microstructure gives bone most of its mechanical strength properties. In our macroscopic approach, bone is seen as a continuous medium with a local (at our scale) time-dependent linearly elastic orthotropic behavior. Remodeling consists, by matrix material apposition or resorption, in microstructure modifications in order to optimize its mechanical characteristics. The proposed model is built on a time iterative procedure where the compliance tensor evolves such that, depending on the applied stresses, principal strains tend to fall within an admissible domain. The suggested remodeling laws in this work modify the elasticity “constants” as well as the orthotropy directions. The first results presented here correspond to the plane stresses case.     

Zero Divisor Graph for the Ring of Gaussian Integers Modulo n

This article studies the zero divisor graph for the ring of Gaussian integers modulo n, Γ (? _n [i]). For each positive integer n, the number of vertices, the diameter, the girth and the case when the dominating number is 1 or 2 is found.

Complete characterizations, in terms of n, are given of the cases in which Γ (? _n [i]) is complete, complete bipartite, planar, regular or Eulerian.     

A novel method for modeling skidding for systems with nonholonomic constraints

In this paper, the effect of wheel skidding on the steering motion of a simple vertical rolling disk is investigated. By modifying the nonholonomic constraints, two novel dynamic models are proposed. The first model rotates the constraints and enforces them along a plane correlated to the skid angle. It then relates the skidding in a wheel to the Lagrange multipliers associated with the kinematic constraints of that wheel. The second model relaxes the no-skidding constraint, allowing its transgression and relates the skidding to the generalized velocities of the actuated degrees of freedom of the system. To validate our model, we compare it to one in the literature and we analyze the motion of the disk on icy and snowy road conditions, where skidding can be significant.     

X-ray diffraction, Raman study and electrical properties of the new mixed compound [Rb0.44(NH4)0.56]2HgCl4 · H2O

Differential scanning calorimetry of [Rb_0.44(NH₄)_0.56]₂HgCl₄ · H₂O material showed three anomalies at 340, 355 and 424 K, respectively. The room temperature phase has space group Pcma (a=8.433(1) Å, b=9.1817(9) Å and c=11.954(1)). Phase II (T=350 K) is disordered and exhibits orthorhombic symmetry (a=8.456(13), b=9.202(9) and c=12.011(10) Å). Hydrogen bonding, the nature and the degree of structure (dis)order and the mechanisms of the transitions are discussed. The dielectric constant ^′ at different frequencies and temperature revealed a phase transition at T=340 K related to NH₄⁺ reorientation and H⁺ diffusion, and a characteristic increase above 355 K, which might be due to loss of water of crystallization. Transport properties in this compound appear to be due to an Rb⁺/NH₄⁺ and H⁺ ions hopping mechanism.     

Fungi allergens produced by solid-state fermentation process

Allergenic extracts were produced from Drechslera (Helminthosporium) monoceras biomass cultured by solid-state fermentation using wheat bran as the substrate. The main fermentation variables were selected by statistical design, and the optimized biomass yield (1.43 mg/[g of dry substrate · d]) was obtained at pH 9.5 and 45.8% moisture. The allergenic extracts were produced from crude extract by protein precipitation and polyphenol removal. Proteins in the range of 16–160 kDa were identified in the extracts. Their reactions in patients were characterized by in vivo cutaneous tests (positive in 40% of the atopic patients) and by dot-blotting assays.     

Comparing numerical methods for Helmholtz equation model problem

In this article, we implement a relatively new numerical technique, Adomian’s decomposition method for solving the linear Helmholtz partial differential equations. The method in applied mathematics can be an effective procedure to obtain for the analytic and approximate solutions. A new approach to a linear or nonlinear problems is particularly valuable as a tool for Scientists and Applied Mathematicians, because it provides immediate and visible symbolic terms of analytic solution as well as its numerical approximate solution to both linear and nonlinear problems without linearization [Solving Frontier Problems of Physics: The Decomposition Method, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, 1994; J. Math. Anal. Appl. 35 (1988) 501]. It does also not require discretization and consequently massive computation. In this scheme the solution is performed in the form of a convergent power series with easily computable components. This paper will present a numerical comparison with the Adomian decomposition and a conventional finite-difference method. The numerical results demonstrate that the new method is quite accurate and readily implemented.     

Semi-empirical correlation of solid solute solubility in supercritical carbon dioxide: Comparative study and proposition of a novel density-based model

A comprehensive data set on experimental solubility of 210 solid solutes in supercritical CO₂ counting 5550 data points has been used for comparison of the correlation performance of 21 empirical models. On the basis of the comparison results a new eight-parameter density-based model has been proposed. The comparison shows that the three-parameter models are the least accurate. The results also show that models that relate the logarithm of the solubility to the logarithm of solvent density and temperature are more accurate than models that include the pressure. When comparing the overall correlating performance in terms of average absolute relative deviation the proposed model is by far the best with an average absolute relative deviation lying in the range 0.17–81.99% and an average value of 8.88%.