Influence of the flow on the anchoring of nematic liquid crystals on Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers studied by optical second-harmonic generation

The influence of capillary flow on the alignment of the nematic liquid crystal 5CB on fatty acid Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers was studied by optical second-harmonic generation (SHG). The surface dipole sensitivity of the technique allows probing the orientation of the first liquid crystal monolayer in the presence of the liquid crystal bulk. It was found that capillary flow causes the first monolayer of liquid crystal molecules in contact with the fatty acid monolayer to be oriented in the flow direction with a large pretilt (78 degrees), resulting in a quasi-planar alignment with splay-bend deformation of the nematic director in the bulk. The large pretilt angle also suggests that the Langmuir-Blodgett film itself is affected by the flow. The quasi-planar flow-induced alignment was found to be metastable. Once the flow ceases, circular domains of homeotropic orientation nucleate in the sample and expand until the whole sample becomes homeotropic. This relaxation process from flow-induced quasi-planar to surface-induced homeotropic alignment was also monitored by SHG. It was found that in the homeotropic state the first nematic layer presents a pretilt of 38 degrees almost isotropically distributed in the plane of the cell, with a slight preference for the direction of the previous flow. Received 8 November 2000 and Received in final form 12 March 2001     

Nuclear Level Density with Non-zero Angular Momentum

The statistical properties of interacting fermions have been studied for various angular momentum with the inclusion of pairing interaction. The dependence of the critical temperature on angular momentum for several nuclei, have been studied. The yrast energy as a function of angular momentum for 28Si and 24 Mg nuclei have been calculated up to 60.0 MeV of excitation energy. The computed limiting angular momenta are compared with the experimental results for ^26Al produced by ^12C＋ 14N reaction. The relevant nuclear level densities for non-zero angular momentum have been computed for ^44Ti and ^136 Ba nuclei. The results are compared with their corresponding values obtained from the approximate formulas.     

Pool boiling heat transfer performance of Newtonian nanofluids

Experimental measurements were carried out on the boiling heat transfer characteristics of γ-Al₂O₃/water and SnO₂/water Newtonian nanofluids. Nanofluids are liquid suspensions containing nanoparticles with sizes smaller than 100 nm. In this research, suspensions with different concentrations of γ-Al₂O₃ and SnO₂ nanoparticles in water were studied under nucleate pool boiling heat transfer conditions. Results show that nanofluids possess noticeably higher boiling heat transfer coefficients than the base fluid. The boiling heat transfer coefficients depend on the type and concentration of nanoparticles.     

Influences of nanoparticles and chain length on thermodynamic and electrical behavior of fluorine liquid crystals

Hydrogen-bonded polar nematic liquid crystal series with the general formula nOBAF (n = 7—12) is studied. The mesomorphic characterization is demonstrated through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). The complexes with short alkyl chains (n=7, 8) present a wide nematic range and monotropic smectic F mesophase, whereas the longer alkyl chain (n=10—12) analogues show high melting and low clearing mesomorphic liquid crystals. The thermal range of the mesophase and the birefringence increase with chain length decreasing. Furthermore, the effect of the nanoparticles (LiNbO₃) on the thermal and the electrical behavior of 8OBAF are investigated. The presence of LiNbO₃ nanoparticles increases the conductivity and reduces the resistivity of the complex.     

Investigation of double-diffusive mixed convection effect on the particles dissolution in the shear flow using coupled SPM–LBM

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In the present study, double-diffusive mixed convection related to the heat and mass transfer of the solid particles dissolution in a shear flow was...     

Computational investigation of the strategy of DNA/RNA stabilization through the study of the conjugation of an oligonucleotide with silver and gold nanoparticles

This research deals with the potential of metallic nanoparticles in DNA/RNA stabilization. In this regard, the interaction of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) as a representative of the nucleotide family was theoretically investigated through density functional theory. AMP is a short form of DNA or RNA macromolecules that can interact with gold (Au) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles. The literature represents the thiolation of oligonucleotides as a suitable way for DNA/RNA adsorption on the stated nanoparticles. In this study, the role of different solvents on the thiolation of AMP is scrutinized. The results showed that acetonitrile is the best solvent for the thiolation of AMP with reaction enthalpy (ΔH) of −66.3 kJ/mol. The adsorption of thiolated adenosine monophosphate (TAMP) on the surface of Ag/Au nanoparticles (Ag/AuNP) was studied in different solvents, and in the gas phase. Our results revealed the interaction of TAMP with adsorption energies of −65.3 and −74.1 kJ/mol (gas phase), −54.8 and −62.5 kJ/mol (acetonitrile), and −59.2 and −70.6 kJ/mol (water) on AgNPs and AuNPs, respectively. AuNPs have a shorter bond distance in adsorption of TAMP compared to AgNPs (2.61 vs. 2.78 Å). For all systems, the frontier molecular orbital, the electronic charge passed through the nanoparticles, the density of states, and the molecular electrostatic potential were investigated. The results confirm the suitability of these nanoparticles as carriers for nucleotides that may be useful in gen delivery applications.     

Silver–palm pollen nanocomposite exhibits antiproliferative,antioxidant, and proapoptotic properties on MCF-7 breast cancer cells

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the antioxidant and proapoptotic effects of silver–palm pollen (Ag/PP) nanocomposite. The percentage of live cells after treatment with various concentrations of Ag/PP (0, 5, 10, 20, and 40 µM/mL) was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay. The antioxidant potential of Ag/PP was measured via the scavenging effects of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and molecular analysis. Apoptosis was assessed by morphological analysis, fluorescent dye, and flow cytometry, and its fundamental mechanism studied based on evaluation of Bax and Bcl2 gene expression. Ag/PP nanocomposite suppressed the viability of MCF-7 cells (dose and time dependently) and showed antioxidant properties. Morphological changes associated with cell death were observed in treated cells. Accumulation of dead cells in sub-G1 phase confirmed the occurrence of apoptosis in exposed cells. In addition, NPs induced cell death by altering Bcl-2 expression in MCF-7 cells. These results indicate that Ag/PP nanocomposite is an effective combination for removal of cancer cells by induction of apoptosis and could be useful for human health due to its antioxidant effects.     

A simple one-pot procedure for the direct conversion of alcohols into alkyl nitriles using TsIm

A convenient and efficient one-pot preparation of nitriles from alcohols using N-(p-toluenesulfonyl)imidazole (TsIm) is described. In this method, treatment of alcohols with a mixture of NaCN, TsIm and triethylamine in the presence of catalytic amounts of tetra-n-butylammonium iodide (TBAI) in refluxing DMF furnishes the corresponding alkyl nitriles in good yields. This methodology is highly efficient for various structurally diverse alcohols with selectivity for ROH: 1° > 2° > 3°.     

Green Oxidations. Manganese(II) Sulfate Aided Oxidations of Organic Compounds by Potassium Permanganate

Summary. The oxidation of arenes and sulfides by potassium permanganate was accomplished in good yields under solvent free and heterogeneous conditions when manganese(II) sulfate is used as a solid support. After extraction of the organic products, the inorganic products can be reoxidized to permanganate. This result is important because it provides an approach to oxidation reactions that is, in theory, infinitely sustainable.     

A THREE-DIMENSIONAL ELASTICITY SOLUTION FOR TWO-DIRECTIONAL FGM ANNULAR PLATES WITH NON-UNIFORM ELASTIC FOUNDATIONS SUBJECTED TO NORMAL AND SHEAR TRACTIONS

In the present paper, bending and stress analyses of two-directional functionally graded （FG） annular plates resting on non-uniform two-parameter Winkler-Pasternak founda- tions and subjected to normal and in-plane-shear tractions is investigated using the exact three- dimensional theory of elasticity. Neither the in-plane shear loading nor the influence of the two- directional material heterogeneity has been investigated by the researchers before. The solution is obtained by employing the state space and differential quadrature methods. The material proper- ties are assumed to vary in both transverse and radial directions. Three different types of variations of the stiffness of the foundation are considered in the radial direction： linear, parabolic, and sinu- soidal. The convergence analysis and the comparative studies demonstrate the high accuracy and high convergence rate of the present approach. A parametric study consisting of evaluating effects of different parameters （e.g., exponents of the material properties laws, the thickness to radius ratio, trends of variations of the foundation stiffness, and different edge conditions） is carried out. The results are reported for the first time and are discussed in detail.