The onset of double diffusive convection in a viscoelastic fluid layer

The onset of double diffusive convection in a viscoelastic fluid layer is studied using a linear and a weak nonlinear stability analyses. The onset criterion for stationary, oscillatory and finite amplitude convection is derived analytically. There is a competition between the processes of thermal diffusion, solute diffusion and viscoelasticity that causes the convection to set in through oscillatory mode rather than stationary. The effect of Deborah number, retardation parameter, solutal Rayleigh number, Prandtl number, Lewis number on the stability of the system is investigated. It is shown that the critical frequency increases with Deborah number and solutal Rayleigh number while it decreases with retardation parameter and Lewis number. The nonlinear theory based on the truncated representation of Fourier series method is used to find the heat and mass transfers. The transient behaviour of the Nusselt number and Sherwood number is investigated by solving the finite amplitude equations using Runge-Kutta method. The effect of viscoelastic parameters on heat and mass transfer is brought out.     

Convective Instability of Oldroyd-B Fluid Saturated Porous Layer Heated from Below using a Thermal Non-equilibrium Model

The linear stability of a viscoelastic fluid saturated densely packed horizontal porous layer heated from below and cooled from above is investigated by considering the Oldroyd-B type fluid. A generalized Darcy model, which takes into account the viscoelastic properties, is employed as momentum equation and a two-field model is used for energy equation each representing solid and fluid phases separately. Linear stability analysis suggests that, there is a competition between the processes of viscous relaxation and thermal diffusion that causes the first convective instability to be oscillatory rather than stationary. Analytical expression for the occurrence of oscillatory onset is obtained, and it is found that the necessary condition for the existence of the same is Λ < 1. Besides, the effect of viscoelastic parameters and the thermal non-equilibrium on the stability of the system is analyzed.     

Imprisoned lightning: charge transport in trehalose-derived sugar glasses

Trehalose is a naturally occurring disaccharide noted for its ability to preserve the biological function of proteins and cell membranes during periods of stress—such as water deprivation or extreme temperature—by stabilizing the conformations of the macromolecules within a glassy matrix. This phenomenon makes use of the propensity for trehalose to interact strongly with protein functional groups and solvent water molecules via hydrogen bonding. Previously, it has been shown that trehalose sugar glasses also support long-range charge transport in oxidation-reduction reactions occurring between spatially separated donors and acceptors. Here, through the use of bulk Arrhenius DC-conductivity measurements, we infer that this anomalously high carrier mobility is due to proton hopping along a hydrogen bonding network formed by sorbed “water wires,” a process known as the Grotthuss mechanism. Additionally, we find that the apparent activation energy of the conductivity depends non-monotonically on the bias voltage. The possibility is raised for novel photovoltaic devices based on the entrapment of photosynthetic proteins within these glasses.     

The onset of convection in a viscoelastic liquid saturated anisotropic porous layer

The linear stability of a viscoelastic liquid saturated horizontal anisotropic porous layer heated from below and cooled from above is investigated by considering the Oldroyd type liquid. A generalized Darcy model, which takes into account the viscoelastic properties, the mechanical and thermal anisotropy is employed as momentum equation. The critical Rayleigh number, wavenumber, for stationary and oscillatory states and frequency of oscillation are determined analytically. It is shown that oscillatory instabilities can set in before stationary modes are exhibited. The effect of the viscoelastic parameter, the mechanical and thermal anisotropy parameters and specific heat ratio on the linear stability of the system is analyzed and presented graphically.     

Oxidative Deamination and Decarboxylation of L-Asparagine by the Aqueous Alkaline Diperiodatonickelate(IV) Complex

The kinetics of the oxidation of L-asparagine, (L-asp) by diperiodatonickelate(IV), (DPN) in aqueous alkaline medium at a constant ionic strength of 0.5 mol⋅dm⁻³, was studied spectrophotometrically. The reaction is first order in [DPN] and of fractional order in both [L-asp] and [alkali]. Addition of the products has no significant effect on the reaction rate. However, increasing the ionic strength or decreasing the dielectric constant of the medium increases the reaction rate. The oxidation process in alkaline medium is shown to proceed via two paths, one involving the interaction of L-asparagine with diperiodatonickelate(IV) ion in a slow step to yield the products, and the other path involving the interaction of alkali with the diperiodatonickelate(IV) ion to give nickel(II). Some reaction constants involved in the mechanism were determined, and calculated and observed rate constants are in excellent agreement. The activation parameters were computed for the slow step of the mechanism.     

Kinetics of Oxidation of L-Valine by a Copper(III) Periodate Complex in Alkaline Medium

The kinetics of oxidation of L-valine by a copper(III) periodate complex was studied spectrophotometrically. The inverse second-order dependency on [OH⁻] was due to the formation of the protonated diperiodatocuprate(III) complex ([Cu(H₃IO₆)₂]⁻) from [Cu(H₂IO₆)₂]³⁻. The retarding effect of initially added periodate suggests that the dissociation of copper(III) periodate complex occurs in a pre-equilibrium step in which it loses one periodate ligand. Among the various forms of copper(III) periodate complex occurring in alkaline solutions, the monoperiodatocuprate(III) appears to be the active form of copper(III) periodate complex. The observed second-order dependency of [L-valine] on the rate of reaction appears to result from formation of a complex with monoperiodatocuprate(III) followed by oxidation in a slow step. A suitable mechanism consistent with experimental results was proposed. The rate law was derived as:

Synthesis of Gossypium hirsutum‐derived silver nanoparticles and their antibacterial efficacy against plant pathogens

Malvaceae and Brassicaceae family crops are economically important; however, their production has been markedly decreased in recent years due to various plant pests. Hence, the search for novel classes of efficient biological approaches continues due to unavailability of precise pesticides. The present study was designed to synthesize, characterize and evaluate the efficacy of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) obtained using stem extract of Gossypium hirsutum (cotton plant) against plant pathogens Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. malvacearum and Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. Biosynthesized AgNPs were characterized using UV–visible spectrophotometry, Dynamic Light Scattering, Scanning Electron Microscopy combined with energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The synthesized AgNPs were spherical in shape with size ranging from 20 to 100 nm. The characterized AgNPs were investigated for their efficacy against bacterial plant pathogens using the paper disc method. In vitro studies with two concentrations of AgNPs (50 and 100 μg mL^?1) showed zone of inhibition 11.0 ± 1.0 and 12.3 ± 0.5 mm for X. axonopodis pv. malvacearum and 9.7 ± 0.6 and 15.33 ± 1.0 mm for X. campestris pv. campestris. Furthermore, the AgNPs exhibited strong antioxidant activity, and a phytotoxicity study on Vigna unguiculata (cowpea plant) showed no toxicity. Overall, the findings suggest that G. hirsutum stem extract could be efficiently used in the synthesis of AgNPs and showed antimicrobial activity against plant pathogens. Hence, the synthesized nanoparticles could be used to combat plant pathogens in the agriculture sector.     

MHD flow and heat transfer over a stretching surface with variable thermal conductivity and partial slip

In this paper we analyze the flow and heat transfer of an MHD fluid over an impermeable stretching surface with variable thermal conductivity and non-uniform heat source/sink in the presence of partial slip. The governing partial differential equations of the problem are reduced to nonlinear ordinary differential equations by using a similarity transformation. The temperature boundary conditions are assumed to be linear functions of the distance from the origin. Analytical solutions of the energy equations for Prescribed Surface Temperature (PST) and Prescribed Heat Flux (PHF) cases are obtained in terms of a hypergeometric function, without applying the boundary-layer approximation. The effects of the governing parameters on the flow and heat transfer fields are presented through tables and graphs, and they are discussed. Furthermore, the obtained numerical results for the skin friction, wall-temperature gradient and wall temperature are analyzed and compared with the available results in the literature for special cases.     

MHD flow and heat transfer for the upper-convected Maxwell fluid over a stretching sheet

In the present work, the effect of MHD flow and heat transfer within a boundary layer flow on an upper-convected Maxwell (UCM) fluid over a stretching sheet is examined. The governing boundary layer equations of motion and heat transfer are non-dimensionalized using suitable similarity variables and the resulting transformed, ordinary differential equations are then solved numerically by shooting technique with fourth order Runge–Kutta method. For a UCM fluid, a thinning of the boundary layer and a drop in wall skin friction coefficient is predicted to occur for higher the elastic number. The objective of the present work is to investigate the effect of Maxwell parameter β, magnetic parameter Mn and Prandtl number Pr on the temperature field above the sheet.