Some Exact Relativistic Models of Electrically Charged Self-bound Stars

In continuation of recent work done by the present authors (Int. J. Theor. Phys. 2013, doi:10.1007/s10773-013-1538-y, hereafter paper I) some new exact families of static spherically symmetric perfect fluid solution of Einstein–Maxwell gravitational field equations are presented. These solutions and the corresponding equations of state, presented in parametric form, may be astrophysically significant in constructing relativistic stellar models of electrically charged self-bound stars.     

P‐Dodecylbenzenesulfonic Acid: A Highly Efficient Catalyst for One‐Pot Synthesis of α‐Aminophosphonates in Aqueous Media

A highly efficient one‐pot three‐component reaction of aldehydes or ketones, amines, and trimethyl or triethyl phosphite catalyzed by p‐dodecylbenzensulfonic acid is developed for the synthesis of α‐aminophosphonates at room temperature in water. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 24:174–178, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/hc.21079     

Near Infrared Studies of Polymer Blends

Abstract

The dependence of absorption in the near-infrared region of cellulose acetate-polyaniline/camphorsulfonic acid blends on their conductivity and homogeneity has been studied. Thin films (10 to 100 μm) of the blends containing various amounts of protonated polyaniline show very high absorption in the NIR region. The absorption increases with increasing of conductivity and homogeneity of the sample.     

Dual fast projected gradient method for quadratic programming

The application of the fast gradient method to the dual quadratic programming (QP) problem leads to the dual fast projected gradient (DFPG) method. The DFPG converges with O(k ^?2) rate, where k > 0 is the number of steps. At each step, it requires O(nm) operations. Therefore for a given ${\varepsilon > 0}$ an ${\varepsilon}$ -approximation to the optimal dual function value one achieves in ${O(nm\varepsilon^{-\frac{1}{2}})}$ operations. We present numerical results which strongly corroborate the theory. In particular, we demonstrate high efficiency of the DFPG for large scale QP.     

Correlation between phase structure and electrical conduction in BISNVOX system for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFC)

Samples of Sn⁴⁺-substituted bismuth vanadate, formulated as Bi₄Sn _x V_{2? x} O_{11?( x /2)? δ} in the composition range 0.07 ≤ x ≤ 0.30, were prepared by standard solid-state reactions. Sample characterization and the principal phase transitions (α ? β, β ? γ and γ′ ? γ) were investigated by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, differential thermal analysis (DTA) and AC impedance spectroscopy. For composition x = 0.07, the α ? β and β ? γ phase transitions were observed at temperatures of 451 and 536°C, respectively. DTA thermograms and Arrhenius plots of conductivities revealed the γ′ ? γ phase transition at 411 and 423°C for x = 0.20 and 0.30, respectively. AC impedance plots showed that conductivity is mainly due to the grain contribution, which is evident in the enhanced short-range diffusion of oxide ion vacancy in the grains with increasing temperature. The highest ionic conductivity (5.03 × 10^?5 S cm^?1 at 300°C) was observed for the x = 0.17 solid solution with less pronounced thermal hysteresis.     

Study of electrical conductivity and phase transition in Bi2O3–V2O5 system

The solid solutions of bismuth–vanadate were prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction. The sample characterization and the study of phase transition were done by using FT-IR, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and DSC measurements. AC impedance measurements proved that the oxide ion conductivity predominantly arises from the grain and grain boundary contributions as two well-defined semicircles are clearly seen along with an inclined spike. The electrical conductivity of Bi₂O₃–V₂O₅ has been studied at different temperatures for various molar ratios. The isothermal conductivity increases with an increase in the concentration of V₂O₅ due to the vacancy migration phenomenon. It has been found that the conductivity of different compositions of Bi₂O₃–V₂O₅ increases and shows a jump in the temperature range 230–260°C due to the phase transition of BiVO₄ from monoclinic scheelite type to that of tetragonal scheelite type. The endothermic peak in DSC at around 260°C reveals the phase transition, which is also confirmed by the XRD and FT-IR analysis. The XRD patterns confirmed the monoclinic structure of BiVO₄.     

Stable,Reactive, and Orthogonal Tetrazines: Dispersion Forces Promote the Cycloaddition with Isonitriles

The isocyano group is a structurally compact bioorthogonal functional group that reacts with tetrazines under physiological conditions. Now it is shown that bulky tetrazine substituents accelerate this cycloaddition. Computational studies suggest that dispersion forces between the isocyano group and the tetrazine substituents in the transition state contribute to the atypical structure–activity relationship. Stable asymmetric tetrazines that react with isonitriles at rate constants as high as 57 L mol^?1 s^?1 were accessible by combining bulky and electron‐withdrawing substituents. Sterically encumbered tetrazines react selectively with isonitriles in the presence of strained alkenes/alkynes, which allows for the orthogonal labeling of three proteins. The established principles will open new opportunities for developing tetrazine reactants with improved characteristics for diverse labeling and release applications with isonitriles.     

Hybrid cross‐linked hydrogels as a technology platform for in vitro release of cephradine

Hydrogel‐based drug delivery systems can leverage therapeutically favorable upshots of drug release and found clinical uses. Hydrogels offer temporal and spatial control over the release of different therapeutic agents. Because of their tailor made controllable degradability, physical properties, and ability to prevent the labile drugs from degradation, hydrogels provide platform on which diverse physicochemical interactions with entrapped drugs cause to control drug release. Herein, we report the fabrication of novel vinyltrimethoxy silane (VTMS) cross‐linked chitosan/polyvinyl pyrrolidone hydrogels. Swelling in distilled water in conjunction with different buffer and electrolyte solutions was performed to assess the swellability of hydrogels. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were further conducted to investigate the possible interactions between components, thermal stability, and crystallinity of as‐prepared hybrid hydrogels, respectively. In vitro time‐dependent biodegradability, antimicrobial study, and cytotoxicity were also carried out to evaluate their extensive biocompatibility and cytotoxic behavior. More interestingly, in vitro drug release study allowed for the controlled release of cephradine. Therefore, this facile strategy developed the novel biocompatible and biodegradable hybrid hydrogels, which could significantly expand the scope of these hydrogels in other biomedical applications like scaffolds, skin regeneration, tissue engineering, etc.     

Swelling and Drying Mechanisms of Freeze-Thawed Polyvinyl Alcohol/Egg White/Montmorillonite Bionanocomposite Hydrogels

Abstract

Polyvinyl alcohol and egg white bionanocomposite hydrogels loaded with montmorillonite clay were fabricated by a freezing-thawing technique. The bionanocomposite hydrogels showed an exfoliated morphology and they had a more interconnected and dense network as compared with the clay-free sample. The montmorillonite layers acted as multifunctional crosslinkers and the bionanocomposite hydrogels had nanoscale, slit-shaped pores. The swelling ratios of the bionanocomposite hydrogels were increased either by decreasing the content of incorporated montmorillonite or by increasing the pH of the swelling medium. It was found that the bionanocomposite hydrogels having a higher content of montmorillonite exhibited a slightly slower drying process with a longer drying duration. Using the Ritger-Peppas model, it was shown that the swelling and drying mechanisms for all bionanocomposite hydrogels were non-Fickian diffusion. According to the Peppas-Sahlin model, it was found that the absorption of the swelling agent molecules during the swelling process and also the removal of water molecules during the drying process in the early stages of the processes occurred mostly due to their diffusion. At higher swelling or drying times, the contribution of the relaxation (for swelling) and shrinkage (for drying) of the polyvinyl alcohol polymeric chains and egg white protein chains was increased.