Soret and Dufour effects on heat and mass transfer by mixed convection over a vertical surface saturated porous medium with temperature dependent viscosity

The diffusion‐thermo and thermal‐diffusion effects on heat and mass transfer by mixed convection boundary layer flow over a vertical isothermal permeable surface embedded in a porous medium were studied numerically in the presence of chemical reaction with temperature‐dependent viscosity. The governing nonlinear partial differential equations are transformed into a set of coupled ordinary differential equations, which are solved numerically by using Runge–Kutta method with shooting technique. Numerical results are obtained for the velocity, temperature and concentration distributions, and the local skin friction coefficient, local Nusselt number and local Sherwood number for several values of the parameters, namely, the variable viscosity parameter, suction/injection parameter, Darcy number, chemical reaction parameter, and Dufour and Soret numbers. The obtained results are presented graphically and in tabulated form, and the physical aspects of the problem are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A New Validated Potentiometric Method for Batch and Continuous Quality Control Monitoring of Oseltamivir Phosphate (Taminil) in Drug Formulations and Biological Fluids

A new validated potentiometric method is described for batch and continuous quality control monitoring of the drug oseltamivir phosphate (Taminil) (OST). The method involves the development of a potentiometric sensor responsive to the drug based on the use of the ion‐association complex of (OST⁺) cation with phosphomolybdate anion (PMA^?) as an electroactive material in a poly(vinyl chloride) matrix membrane plasticized with o‐nitrophenyloctyl ether (o‐NPOE). Optimization of the performance characteristics of the sensor is described. A membrane incorporating the OST‐PMA‐NPOE complex in a tubular flow through detector is used in a two channel flow injection set up for continuous monitoring of the drug at a frequency of ～30 samples h^?1. The sensor shows fast near‐Nernstian response for OST over the concentration range 5.2×10^?5–0.8×10^?2 M (21.34 µg mL^?1–3.23 mg mL^?1) with a detection limit of 9.1×10^?6 M (3.73 µg mL^?1) over the pH range 4.6–6.1. The sensor displays good selectivity for OST drug over some basic drugs, inorganic cations, excipients and diluents commonly used in the drug formulations. Validation of the assay method is tested by measuring the lower detection limit, range, linearity, bias, trueness, accuracy, precision, and between‐day‐variability, within day reproducibility, selectivity and ruggedness (robustness). The results reveal good potentiometric performance of the proposed sensor for determination of OST in pharmaceutical capsules and in biological fluid matrices as well as for testing the dissolution profile of the drug and drug homogeneity.     

Optimization Studies of Porous Carbon Preparation from Oil Shale Using Response Surface Methodology and Its Application for Phenol Adsorption

This paper discusses the elaboration of adsorbents from oil shale. The experimental designs a response surface methodology(RSM), which has been applied to optimize the significant preparation factors, such as temperature, time, and the activating agent percentage. The results obtained from central composite design(CCD) revealed that the interaction between the factors was significant for the maximum quantity of adsorption(response). Planned results have shown that a maximum quantity of adsorption for methylene blue is 65 mg/g, which could be achieved with a temperature of 275℃ over 2 h and a percentage of the activating agent of 45%. The predicted values agreed with the experimental finding, with a determination coefficient(R²) of 0.96. The model has been validated by experiments after conditions optimization. The new material(RHO) was characterized by cation exchange capacity, zero charge pH, surface functions, X-ray fluorescence, specific surface area, and electron microscopy analysis. Phenol adsorption was determined using Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin, which were used to describe the adsorption isotherms. The adsorption capacity of the material was about 263 mg/g, and the kinetic studies showed rapid adsorption.     

Diaryl Sulfoxides from Aryl Benzyl Sulfoxides: A Single Palladium‐Catalyzed Triple Relay Process

A novel approach to produce diaryl sulfoxides from aryl benzyl sulfoxides is reported. Optimization of the reaction conditions was performed using high‐throughput experimentation techniques. The [Pd(dba)₂]/NiXantPhos catalyst system successfully promotes a triple relay process involving sulfoxide α‐arylation, C? S bond cleavage, and C? S bond formation. The byproduct benzophenone is formed by an additional palladium‐catalyzed process. It is noteworthy that palladium‐catalyzed benzylative C? S bond cleavage of sulfoxides is unprecedented. A wide range of aryl benzyl sulfoxides, as well as alkyl benzyl sulfoxides with various (hetero)aryl bromides were employed in the triple relay process in good to excellent yields (85–99 %). Moreover, aryl methyl sulfoxides, dibenzyl sulfoxides, and dimethylsulfoxide could be utilized to generate diaryl sulfoxides involving multiple catalytic cycles by a single catalyst.     

The integrated number of vibrational states in acetylene (12C2H2, 13C2H2, 12C2D2)

A calculated exhaustive set of vibrational state energies in ¹²C₂H₂, ¹³C₂H₂ and ¹²C₂D₂ has been used to analyse the evolution of the integrated number of states with increasing vibrational energy N(E) up to 15000 cm^?1, 12000cm^?1 and 10000 cm^?1 in each isotopomer, respectively. The regular contribution to N(E) was modelled analytically and numerical parameters were fitted. The other expected contribution to N(E), which is of oscillatory nature, was quantified and is discussed using energyand time-dependent theories. Related periods of oscillation and temporal recurrences are interpreted consistently in terms of the constant of the motion N_r = 5v₂ + 3v₂ + 5v₃ + v₄ + v₅ and of an average vibrational quantum. More pragmatically, the vibrational dynamics appear to be dominated by the bending vibrations, i.e., by the slowest oscillators.     

Optical characterization of InGaN/AlGaN/GaN diode grown on silicon carbide

Electroluminescence (EL) properties of In_xGa_1−xN/Al_yGa_1−yN/GaN/SiC diode were studied. The spectral range for which EL spectra were recorded is 1–3.5 eV. Room temperature EL was obtained for forward bias (3.18 V, 220 μA) at 446.067 nm (blue luminescence band), 606.98 nm (yellow luminescence band) and 893.84 nm (Infrared luminescence band). The EL temperature dependence shows that, BL band is mostly given by e–h recombination corresponding to indium composition equal to 0.17 ± 0.01 and 0.14 ± 0.02 obtained theoretically and experimentally, respectively. The yellow band is generally weak and absent at low temperature. The IRL band is more consistent with the DAP recombination and could be explained by the thermal activation of Mg states. The luminescence bands shift to lower energies is due probably to the larger potential fluctuations effect.     

Sub region-specific modulation of synchronous neuronal burst firing after a kainic acid insult in organotypic hippocampal cultures

Background  

Excitotoxicity occurs in a number of pathogenic states including stroke and epilepsy. The adaptations of neuronal circuits in response to such insults may be expected to play an underlying role in pathogenesis. Synchronous neuronal firing can be induced in isolated hippocampal slices and involves all regions of this structure, thereby providing a measure of circuit activity. The effect of an excitotoxic insult (kainic acid, KA) on Mg²⁺-free-induced synchronized neuronal firing was tested in organotypic hippocampal culture by measuring extracellular field activity in CA1 and CA3.     

Iterative Methods for Systems of First-order Differential Equations

In this paper, we study the applicability of the iterative asynchronousalgorithms to systems of first order differential equations.These algorithms can be implemented on monoprocessors as wellas on multiprocessors, therefore this study extends Picard'smethod and opens a future perspective for treating differentialsystems in a parallel and asynchronous manner using multiprocessors