Impact of material processing and deformation on cell morphology and mechanical behavior of polyurethane and nickel foams

The cell morphology and mechanical behavior of open-cell polyurethane and nickel foams are investigated by means of combined 3D X-ray micro-tomography and large scale finite element simulations. Our quantitative 3D image analysis and finite element simulations demonstrate that the strongly anisotropic tensile behavior of nickel foams is due to the cell anisotropy induced by the deformation of PU precursor during the electroplating and heat treatment stages of nickel foam processing. In situ tensile tests on PU foams reveal that the initial main elongation axis of the cells evolves from the foam sheet normal direction to the rolling direction of the coils. Finite element simulations of the hyperelastic behavior of PU foams based on real cell morphology confirm the observation that cell struts do not experience significant elongation after 0.15 tensile straining, thus pointing out alternative deformation mechanisms like complex strut junctions deformation. The plastic behavior and the anisotropy of nickel foams are then satisfactorily retrieved from finite element simulations on a volume element containing eight cells with a detailed mesh of all the hollow struts and junctions. The experimental and computational strategy is considered as a first step toward optimization of process parameters to tailor anisotropy of cell shape and mechanical behavior for applications in batteries or Diesel particulate filtering.     

On the Convergence Regions of Generalized Accelerated Overrelaxation Method for Linear Complementarity Problems

In this paper, we use a generalized Accelerated Overrelaxation (GAOR) method and analyze the convergence of this method for solving linear complementarity problems. Furthermore, we improve on the convergence region of this method with acknowledgement of the maximum norm. A numerical example is also given, to illustrate the efficiency of our results.     

Hyperchaos control of the hyperchaotic Chen system by optimal control design

The aim of this paper is to study the chaos, optimal control, and adaptive control of the hyperchaotic Chen system. In this paper, applying the Pontryagin’s minimum principle (PMP), the optimal control inputs for the interested model are obtained with respect to the selected measure. A piecewise-spectral homotopy analysis method (PSHAM) is used for solving the hyperchaotic Chen system and the extreme conditions obtained from the PMP. Furthermore, an adaptive control approach and a parameter estimation update law are introduced for the hyperchaotic Chen system with completely unknown parameters. The control results are established using the Krasovskii–LaSalle principle. Finally, numerical simulations are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.     

Convergence Analysis of Modified Iterative Methods to Solve Linear Systems

In the past years, a growing interest to solve linear systems with modified iterative methods has been shown by researchers. Recently, Dehghan and Hajarian (J Vib Control, doi:10.1177/10775463124, 2012)based on preconditioned methods, introduced modified accelerated overrelaxation methods for solving linear systems. These authors stated that the best property of the mentioned methods is that they can be used under mild conditions than the Milaszewicz’s (Linear Algebra Appl 93:161–170, 1987) preconditioner. In this paper, we show that the Milaszewicz’s preconditioner is applicable under mild conditions and also, under these conditions, Milaszewicz’s preconditioner is superior to the Dehghan and Hajarian’s preconditioner. Numerical examples are also given to illustrate our results.     

Spectral homotopy analysis method and its convergence for solving a class of nonlinear optimal control problems

A combination of the hybrid spectral collocation technique and the homotopy analysis method is used to construct an iteration algorithm for solving a class of nonlinear optimal control problems (NOCPs). In fact, the nonlinear two-point boundary value problem (TPBVP), derived from the Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle (PMP), is solved by spectral homotopy analysis method (SHAM). For the first time, we present here a convergence proof for SHAM. We treat in detail Legendre collocation and Chebyshev collocation. It is indicated that Legendre collocation gives the same numerical results with Chebyshev collocation. Comparisons are made between SHAM, Matlab bvp4c generated results and results from literature such as homotopy perturbation method (HPM), optimal homotopy perturbation method (OHPM) and differential transformations.     

Appraisal of the Antioxidant Activity,Polyphenolic Content,and Characterization of Selected Himalayan Herbs: Anti-Proliferative Potential in HepG2 Cells

Natural antioxidants derived from plants have played a vital role in preventing a wide range of human chronic conditions and provide novel bioactive leads for investigators in pharmacotherapy discovery. This work was designed to examine the ethnopharmacological role of Urtica dioica (UD), Capsella bursa-pastoris (CBP), and Inula racemosa (IR). The total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC) were illustrated through colorimetric assays, while the antioxidant activity was investigated through DPPH and ABTS assays. The evaluation of phytochemicals by FT-IR of UD and CBP revealed high contents of aliphatic amines, while IR showed a major peak for ketones. The antioxidant activity, TPC and TFC were highest in the ethanol extract of UD, followed by CBP, and IR showed the lowest activity. All of the extracts revealed significant antioxidant capacities along a dosage gradient. Through a HPLC analysis at a wavelength of 280 nm, UD leaves demonstrated an intense peak of quercetin, and the peak for rutin was less intense. CBP (whole plant), instead, demonstrated a major yield of rutin, and a peak for quercetin was not observed in CBP. IR (rhizomes) showed both quercetin and rutin. All of the extracts were significantly cytotoxic to HepG2 cells after 48 h with the trend IR > UD > CBP. The outcomes of this study may be effective in the selection of specific plants as realistic sources of the bioactive components that might be useful in the nutraceutical progression and other biomedical efficacies.     

Qualitative and quantitative assessment of extracted oil from Camelina sativa seed treated by dielectric-barrier discharge cold plasma

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) cold plasma (CP) pretreatment on Camelina sativa “Soheil cultivar” seed. A DBD plasma reactor system was employed for this purpose. The experiments were performed by taking into account variables including voltages of 15, 18, and 21 kV and times of 2, 4, 8, and 16 min. The measured properties were oil yield extraction (%), oil colour parameters (CIEL*a*b*), protein content (meal) (%), surface analysis using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and fatty acids profile of Camelina sativa. The results revealed that the CP treatment had a significant improvement in different properties of the extracted oil. It was observed that the extracted oil was increased, with the increasing time of CP exposure. The treatments of CP enhanced the oil yield from 24.3 to 31.5%, and the optimal conditions were identified as 21 kV and 16 min. Also, the maximum protein amount was observed for the samples treated by CP (39.5%). The SEM analysis showed that the cell structures of pre-treated Camelina samples were damaged, thereby improved the oil extraction efficiency. The variations in the values of L*, a*, and b* (max-min) were calculated to be 3.9, −2.5, and 9.7, respectively, which indicated minor changes of CP treatment on the oil colour parameters. The treated samples showed considerable changes of enhancement in linolenic and linoleic acids among poly-unsaturated fatty acids; and a reduction in palmitic acid content, among saturated fatty acids.     

Cell-penetrating peptides as delivery vehicles for a protein-targeted terbium complex

Release after transmission: Arginine-rich, cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) mediate cytoplasmic delivery of trimethoprim (TMP)-terbium complex conjugates and selective, intracellular labeling of E.?coli dihydrofolate reductase (eDHFR) fusion proteins. A disulfide bond linking CPP and cargo is reduced following uptake. CPP conjugation can be used to deliver otherwise cell-impermeable, ligand-fluorophore conjugates.