Pilgrim dark energy in f(T) gravity

We discuss the interacting f(T) gravity with pressureless matter in an FRW spacetime. We construct an f(T) model by following the correspondence scheme incorporating a recently developed pilgrim dark energy model and taking the Hubble horizon as the IR cutoff. We use constructed model to discuss the evolution trajectories of the equation-of-state parameter, the ω _T -ω′ _T phase plane, and state-finder parameters in the evolving universe. It is found that the equation-of-state parameter gives a phantom era of the accelerated universe for some particular range of the pilgrim parameter. The ω _T -ω′ _T plane represents freezing regions only for an interacting framework, while the ΛCDM limit is attained in the state-finder plane. We also investigate the first and second laws of thermodynamics assuming equal temperatures at and inside the horizon in this scenario. Due to the violation of the first law of thermodynamics in f(T) gravity, we explore the behavior of the entropy production term. The validity of a generalized second law of thermodynamics depends on the present-day value of the Hubble parameter.     

Effects of electromagnetic field on energy density inhomogeneity in self-gravitating fluids

This paper is devoted to study the effects of electromagnetic field on the energy density inhomogeneity in the relativistic self-gravitating fluids for spherically symmetric spacetime. Two important equations of the Weyl tensor are formulated which help to analyze the energy density inhomogeneity in this scenario. We investigate two types of fluids, i.e., non-dissipative and dissipative. The non-dissipative fluid further includes dust, locally isotropic, and locally anisotropic charged fluids. We explore the effects of different factors on energy density inhomogeneity in all these cases, in particular, the effect of charge.     

Olive-Derived Triterpenes Suppress SARS COV-2 Main Protease: A Promising Scaffold for Future Therapeutics

SARS CoV-2 pandemic is still considered a global health disaster, and newly emerged variants keep growing. A number of promising vaccines have been recently developed as a protective measure; however, cost-effective treatments are also of great importance to support this critical situation. Previously, betulinic acid has shown promising antiviral activity against SARS CoV via targeting its main protease. Herein, we investigated the inhibitory potential of this compound together with three other triterpene congeners (i.e., ursolic acid, maslinic acid, and betulin) derived from olive leaves against the viral main protease (M^pro) of the currently widespread SARS CoV-2. Interestingly, betulinic, ursolic, and maslinic acids showed significant inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 3.22–14.55 µM), while betulin was far less active (IC₅₀ = 89.67 µM). A comprehensive in-silico analysis (i.e., ensemble docking, molecular dynamic simulation, and binding-free energy calculation) was then performed to describe the binding mode of these compounds with the enzyme catalytic active site and determine the main essential structural features required for their inhibitory activity. Results presented in this communication indicated that this class of compounds could be considered as a promising lead scaffold for developing cost-effective anti-SARS CoV-2 therapeutics.     

Effect of ZnO nanoparticles on kinetics of thermal degradation and final properties of ethylene–propylene–diene rubber systems

The morphology, thermal degradation behavior in addition to static and dynamic mechanical properties of various ethylene?Cpropylene?Cdiene (EPDM) rubber compounds containing nano-zinc oxide (NZnO) were investigated compared to those of EPDM with ordinary-sized ZnO (OSZnO). The field-emission scanning electron microscopy studies showed that unlike the conventional system, the formation of large size ZnO agglomerates was discouraged for NZnO filled systems. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) revealed that the thermal degradation of EPDM system was delayed upon the inclusion of NZnO instead of OSZnO in the compound. The kinetic analysis of TG data based on Friedman and Kissinger methods showed that the nanocomposite samples exhibited higher activation energy (E _a ) and lower order of reaction (n) over the conventional system, suggesting the enhancement of thermal stability upon decreasing ZnO particle size. The results obtained from dynamic mechanical analysis and static mechanical characterizations in terms of hardness, resilience, and abrasion tests interestingly indicated that NZnO not merely could act as a thermal insulator, but also could perform as a nano-filler to improve the final performance of EPDM elastomers.     

Constrained kernelized partial least squares

Nonlinear kernel methods have been widely used to deal with nonlinear problems in latent variable methods. However, in the presence of structured noise, these methods have reduced efficacy. We have previously introduced constrained latent variable methods that make use of any available additional knowledge about the structured noise. These methods improve performance by introducing additional constraints into the algorithm. In this paper, we build upon our previous work and introduce hard‐constrained and soft‐constrained nonlinear partial least squares methods using nonlinear kernels. The addition of nonlinear kernels reduces the effects of structured noise in nonlinear spaces and improves the regression performance between the input and response variables. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Graphene oxide‐induced polymerization and crystallization to produce highly conductive polyaniline/graphene oxide composite

Graphene oxide (GO)–polyaniline (PANI) composite is synthesized by in situ polymerization of aniline in the presence of GO as oxidant, resulting in highly crystalline and conductive composite. Fourier transform infrared spectrum confirms aniline polymerization in the presence of GO without using conventional oxidants. Scanning electron microscopic images show the formation of PANI nanofibers attached to GO sheets. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicate the presence of highly crystalline PANI. The sharp peaks in XRD pattern suggest GO sheets not only play an important role in the polymerization of aniline but also in inducing highly crystalline phase of PANI in the final composite. Electrical conductivity of doped GO–PANI composite is 582.73 S m^?1, compared with 20.3 S m^?1 for GO–PANI obtained by ammonium persulfate assisted polymerization. The higher conductivity appears to be the result of higher crystallinity and/or chemical grafting of PANI to GO, which creates common conjugated paths between GO and PANI. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 1545–1554     

Nanocomposite Coatings Based on Modified Graphene Oxide and Polydimethylsiloxane: Characterization and Thermal Properties

Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry - Graphene oxide as a derivative of graphite has been noticed as a high efficient material and its application in nanocomposite coatings is surprisingly...     

Chitosan–iron oxide nanobiocomposite based immunosensor for ochratoxin-A

The rabbit immunoglobulin antibodies (IgGs) have been immobilized onto nanobiocomposite film of chitosan (CH)–iron oxide (Fe₃O₄₎ nanoparticles prepared onto indium–tin oxide (ITO) electrode for detection of ochratoxin-A (OTA). Excellent film forming ability and availability of –NH₂ group in CH and affinity of surface charged Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles for oxygen support the immobilization of IgGs. Differential pulse voltammettry (DPV) studies indicate that Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles provide increased electroactive surface area for loading of IgGs and improved electron transport between IgGs and electrode. IgGs/CH–Fe₃O₄ nanobiocomposite/ITO immunoelectrode exhibits improved characteristics such as low detection limit (0.5 ng dL⁻¹), fast response time (18 s) and high sensitivity (36 μA/ng dL⁻¹ cm⁻²) with respect to IgGs/CH/ITO immunoelectrode.