Two- and three-dimensional comparative study of heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of nanofluids flow through a ventilated cubic cavity (part I: Newtonian nanofluids)

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Through this paper, three-dimensional fluid flow and heat transfer of Al2O3 nanofluid within ventilated enclosures was taken into consideration....     

UV protection filters by dielectric multilayer thin films on Glass BK-7 and Infrasil 301

The increasing use of Ultraviolet (UV) light in medicine, industrial environments, for cosmetic use, and even in consumer products necessitates that greater attention be paid to the potential hazards of this type of electromagnetic radiation. To avoid any adverse effects of exposure to this type of radiation, four suitable protection filters were produced to block three UV bands (UVA, UVB, and UVC). The design structure of the required dielectric multilayer filters was done by optical thin film technology using the absorbing property of UV radiation for the substrates and dielectric materials. The computer analyses of the multilayer filter formulas were prepared using Macleod Software for the production processes. The deposition technique was achieved on optical substrates (Glass BK-7 and Infrasil 301) by dielectric material combinations including Titanium dioxide (Ti₂O₃), Hafnium dioxide (HfO₂), and Lima (mixture of oxides SiO₂/Al₂O₃); deposition being achieved using an electron beam gun. The output results of the theoretical and experimental transmittance values for spectral band from 200 nm to 800 nm were discussed in four processes. To analyze the suitability for use in ‘real world’ applications, the test pieces were subjected to the durability tests (adhesion, abrasion resistance, and humidity) according to Military Standard MIL-C-675C and MIL-C-48497A.     

Conformal and semi-conformal biharmonic maps

We show that a conformal mapping between Riemannian manifolds of the same dimension n ≥ 3 is biharmonic if and only if the gradient of its dilation satisfies a certain second-order elliptic partial differential equation. On an Einstein manifold solutions can be generated from isoparametric functions. We characterise those semi-conformal submersions that are biharmonic in terms of their dilation and the fibre mean curvature vector field.      

Comparative study between chloramine-T and iodogen to prepare radioiodinated etodolac for inflammation imaging

This study describes a fast and efficient method for radiolabeling of etodolac with iodine-125 [¹²⁵I], where both chloramine-T and iodogen were used as oxidizing agents. The labeling reaction was carried out via electrophilic substitution of hydrogen atom with the iodonium cation I⁺. The labeling yield was found to be influenced by different factors such as drug concentration, pH of the reaction mixtures, different oxidizing agents, reaction time, temperature and different organic media. The radiochemical yield (RCY) was determined by TLC system using methylene chloride:ethyl acetate (3:7 v/v) as a developing solvent and by electrophoresis using cellulose acetate moistened with 0.02 M phosphate buffer pH 7. The maximum radiochemical yield of [¹²⁵I]Etodolac (87.7%) was obtained. Labeled etodolac shows a good localization in inflamed muscle. It excretes mainly via kidney and to some via liver.     

Optimal workforce assignment to operations of a paced assembly line

We study a paced assembly line intended for manufacturing different products. Workers with identical skills perform non-preemptable operations whose assignment to stations is known. Operations assigned to the same station are executed sequentially, and they should follow the given precedence relations. Operations assigned to different stations can be performed in parallel. The operation’s processing time depends on the number of workers performing this operation. The problem consists in assigning workers to operations such that the maximal number of workers employed simultaneously in the assembly line is minimized, the line cycle time is not exceeded and the box constraints specifying the possible number of workers for each operation are not violated. We show that the general problem is NP-hard in the strong sense, develop conventional and randomized heuristics, propose a reduction to a series of feasibility problems, present a MILP model for the feasibility problem, show relation of the feasibility problem to multi-mode project scheduling and multiprocessor scheduling, establish computational complexity of several special cases based on this relation and provide computer experiments with real and simulated data.     

Near-Boundary Asymptotics for Correlation Kernels

We discuss asymptotic formulas for the correlation kernel corresponding to a (more or less) general potential Q in the plane. If K _n is such a kernel, there is a known asymptotic formula K _n (z,z)=nΔQ(z)+B ₁(z)+n ^?1 B ₂(z)+? valid for z in the interior of a certain compact set known as the “droplet” corresponding to Q (on which ΔQ>0). On the other hand, if z is in the exterior of the droplet, K _n (z,z) converges to zero exponentially in n. Results of this type are useful in random matrix theory and conformal field theory; they have recently been used to prove the Gaussian field convergence in the interior of the droplet for fluctuations of eigenvalues of random normal matrices. To be able to extend such results beyond the interior, it becomes necessary to have a certain uniformity of estimates as z approaches the boundary either from the interior or from the exterior. Such estimates have to our knowledge hitherto not been known on a rigorous level. This note intends to fill this gap. We will consider applications in later publications. Our treatment of the (interior) asymptotics relies in an essential way on previous work due to Berman, Berndtsson, and Sjöstrand (Ark. Mat. 46, 2008), and Berman (Indiana Univ. Math. J. 58, 2009). We hope that this note can to some extent be regarded as a contribution to that work.     

Hydrogeochemical modeling for groundwater management in arid and semiarid regions using MODFLOW and MT3DMS: A case study of the Jeffara of Medenine coastal aquifer,South-Eastern Tunisia

The study of water quality and the quantification of reserves and their variations according to natural and anthropogenic forcing is necessary to establish an adequate management plan for groundwater resources. For this purpose, a modeling approach is a useful tool that allows, after calibration phase and verification of simulation, and under different scenarios of forcing and operational changes, to estimate and control the groundwater quantity and quality. The main objective of this study is to collect all available data in a model that simulates the Jeffara of Medenine coastal aquifer system functioning. To achieve this goal, a conceptual model was constructed based on previous studies and hydrogeological investigations. The regional groundwater numerical flow model for the Jeffara aquifer was developed using MODFLOW working under steady-state and transient conditions. Groundwater elevations measured from the piezometric wells distributed throughout the study area in 1973 were selected as the target water levels for steady state (head) model calibration. A transient simulation was undertaken for the 42 years from 1973 to 2015. The historical transient model calibration was satisfactory, consistent with the continuous piezometric decline in response to the increase in groundwater abstraction. The developed numerical model was used to study the system's behavior over the next 35 years under various constraints. Two scenarios for potential groundwater extraction for the period 2015–2050 are presented. The predictive simulations show the effect of the increase of the exploitation on the piezometric levels. To study the phenomenon of salinization, which is one of the most severe and widespread groundwater contamination problems, especially in coastal regions, a solute transport model has been constructed by using MT3DMS software coupled with the groundwater flow model. The best calibration results are obtained when the connection with the overlying superficial aquifer is considered suggesting that groundwater contamination originates from this aquifer. Recommendations for water resource managers

• The results of this study show that Groundwater resources of Jeffara of Medenine coastal aquifer in Tunisia are under immense pressure from multiple stresses.
• The water resources manager must consider the impact of economic and demographic development in groundwater management to avoid the intrusion of saline water.
• The results obtained presented some reference information that can serve as a basis for water resources planning.
• The model runs to provide information that managers can use to regulate and adequately control the Jeffara of Medenine water resources.

     

Radioiodination, purification and bioevaluation of Piroxicam in comparison with Meloxicam for imaging of inflammation

The present study is performed to compare the electrophilic substitution radioiodination reaction of two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs namely, Piroxicam (Pirox) and Meloxicam (Melox) with ¹²⁵I where both chloramine-T (CAT) and iodogen were used as oxidizing agents. The factors affecting the percent of radiochemical yields such as drug concentration, pH of the reaction mixtures, different oxidizing agents, reaction time, temperature and different organic media were studied to optimize the conditions for labeling of Pirox and Melox and to obtain high radiochemical yields. The maximum radiochemical yield of ¹²⁵I-Piroxicam (¹²⁵I-Pirox) was 94% using 3.7 MBq of Na¹²⁵I, 0.4 mM of Pirox as substrate, 3.6 mM of chloramine-T (CAT) as oxidizing agent in acetone at neutral pH = 7 and at 60 °C within 20 min where the maximum radiochemical yield of ¹²⁵I-Melox was 92% using 0.7 mM of Melox as substrate, 0.62 mM of iodogen as oxidizing agent in acetone at neutral pH = 7 and at 25 °C within 30 min. The radiochemical yields were determined by TLC and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Tracers showed good localization in inflamed muscle either septic or sterile. The collected data indicates that Pirox and Melox can be used as antiinflammatory imaging agents at 24 and 2 h post injection, respectively.     

Optoelectronic and thermoelectric properties of Zintl YLi3X2(X=Sb,Bi) compounds through modified Becke—Johnson potential

In the present work, we investigate the structural, optoelectronic and thermoelectric properties of the YLi₃X₂(X=Sb, Bi) compounds using the full potential augmented plane wave plus local orbital (FP-APW+lo) method. The exchange-correlation potential is treated with the generalized gradient approximation/local density approximation (GGA/LDA) and with the modified Becke-Johnson potential (TB-mBJ) in order to improve the electronic band structure calculations. In addition, the estimated ground state properties such as the lattice constants, external parameters, and bulk moduli agree well with the available experimental data. Our band structure calculations with GGA and LDA predict that both compounds have semimetallic behaviors. However, the band structure calculations with the GGA/TB-mBJ approximation indicate that the ground state of the YLi₃Sb₂ compound is semiconducting and has an estimated indirect band gap (Γ-L) of about 0.036 eV while the ground state of YLi₃Bi₂ compound is semimetallic. Conversely the LDA/TB-mBJ calculations indicate that both compounds exhibit semiconducting characters and have an indirect band gap (Γ-L) of about 0.15 eV and 0.081 eV for YLi₃Sb and YLi₃Bi₂ respectively. Additionally, the optical properties reveal strong responses of the herein materials in the energy range between the IR and extreme UV regions. Thermoelectric properties such as thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermo power factors are also calculated.