Self pulsations and self Q-switching in Ho3+, Pr3+:ZBLAN fibre lasers at 2.87 μm

The temporal characteristics of the output of a single-clad Ho³⁺, Pr³⁺-co-doped ZBLAN fibre laser pumped by a Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm has been found to exhibit a range of cw, self pulsation and self Q-switching output dynamics, dependent on the excitation and fibre conditions. An interpretation is considered based on stimulated Brillouin scattering and the effect of the excited state absorption (ESA). For long fibre (∼13 m) and for uni-directional pumping, the output was a continuous wave (cw), but for bi-directional pumping, a significant decrease in the stability of the output is observed and the output displayed well developed self pulsations. A train of self Q-switched pulses with mean pulse duration of 767 ns, a peak pulse power of about 2.8 W and an average power of 183 mW and with more than 80% pulse-to-pulse stability has been observed when pumped with 4.4 W into each end of the fibre. Self pulsation phenomena are also observed in unidirectional pumping for shorter fibre lengths of ∼9.2 m at high pump power and for 1.5 m fibre length at all pumps power. PACS 42.55.Wd; 42.60.Gd; 42.60.Mi     

An eco‐epidemiological predator–prey model where predators distinguish between susceptible and infected prey

A predator–prey model with disease amongst the prey and ratio‐dependent functional response for both infected and susceptible prey is proposed and its features analysed. This work is based on previous mathematical models to analyse the important ecosystem of the Salton Sea in Southern California and New Mexico where birds (particularly pelicans) prey on fish (particularly tilapia). The dynamics of the system around each of the ecologically meaningful equilibria are presented. Natural disease control is considered before studying the impact of the disease in the absence of predators and the interaction of predators and healthy prey and the disease effects on predators in the absence of healthy prey. Our theoretical results are confirmed by numerical simulation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In-situ copolymerization of aniline with alkyl amine by APS： Kinetics and application

The kinetic study of in-situ eopolymerization of aniline with o- and p-methylaniline by ammonium persulfate （APS） has been carried out. UV-vis spectroscopic method was used to investigate the course of copolymerization. Structural characterization was studied by PT-IR spectral analysis. The electronic spectra of the copolymers poly（aniline-co-p-toluidine） and poly（aniline-co-o- toluidine） show blue shift. The shift has been observed in the bands corresponding to π→π^＊ transition as well as in the exciton transition. The increase in absorbance recorded during the reaction for different concentration of aniline, o- and p-toluidine at various intervals of time of polymerization reaction indicates a growth in the polymer formation. The resulting first-order rate constant was used to calculate the rate of copolymer formation using the rate equation -d[A]/dt = kc^n.     

Simultaneous determination of peroxydisulfate and conventional inorganic anions by ion chromatography with the column‐switching technique

The application of ion chromatography with the column‐switching technique for the simultaneous analysis of peroxydisulfate and conventional inorganic anions in a single run is described. With this method, conventional inorganic anions were separated by consecutive elution through both the guard column and separation column, but peroxydisulfate that only passed through the guard column had a good peak shape and short retention time. A series of standard solutions consisting of target anions of various concentrations from 0.01 to 75 mg/L were analyzed, with a correlation coefficient (r) ≥ 0.9990. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.49–9.84 μg/L based on the S/N of 3 and a 25 μL injection volume. RSDs for retention time, peak area, and peak height were all <1.77%. A spiking study was performed with satisfactory recoveries between 97.6 and 103.4% for all anions. The quantitative determination of peroxydisulfate and conventional inorganic anions in surface waters was accomplished within 18 min by this column‐switching technique.     

Formulation of Piperine–Chitosan-Coated Liposomes: Characterization and In Vitro Cytotoxic Evaluation

The present research work is designed to prepare and evaluate piperine liposomes and piperine–chitosan-coated liposomes for oral delivery. Piperine (PPN) is a water-insoluble bioactive compound used for different diseases. The prepared formulations were evaluated for physicochemical study, mucoadhesive study, permeation study and in vitro cytotoxic study using the MCF7 breast cancer cell line. Piperine-loaded liposomes (PLF) were prepared by the thin-film evaporation method. The selected liposomes were coated with chitosan (PLFC) by electrostatic deposition to enhance the mucoadhesive property and in vitro therapeutic efficacy. Based on the findings of the study, the prepared PPN liposomes (PLF3) and chitosan coated PPN liposomes (PLF3C1) showed a nanometric size range of 165.7 ± 7.4 to 243.4 ± 7.5, a narrow polydispersity index (>0.3) and zeta potential (−7.1 to 29.8 mV). The average encapsulation efficiency was found to be between 60 and 80% for all prepared formulations. The drug release and permeation study profile showed biphasic release behavior and enhanced PPN permeation. The in vitro antioxidant study results showed a comparable antioxidant activity with pure PPN. The anticancer study depicted that the cell viability assay of tested PLF3C2 has significantly (p < 0.001)) reduced the IC₅₀ when compared with pure PPN. The study revealed that oral chitosan-coated liposomes are a promising delivery system for the PPN and can increase the therapeutic efficacy against the breast cancer cell line.     

Characterization of Antioxidant Activity of Momordica Charantia Fruit by Infrared-Based Fingerprinting

Momordica charantia is widely consumed edible fruit. The food and pharmaceutical industries use it as a natural antioxidant. However, the quality control of M. charantia-based medicinal products is questionable due to the complexity of metabolites in this fruit. Hence, this study has developed a statistical model in predicting the antioxidant value through the 2, 2-diphenyl-1 picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power based on infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance. This technique was reliably used for quality control. Six ethanol extracts (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% in water) of this plant’s fruit were prepared. The radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power activities were measured and the chemical profiling of the extracts was fingerprinted by infrared spectroscopy between 4,000 and 600?cm^?1 at a resolution of 4?cm^?1. Statistical analysis was developed by correlating the bioactivity and infrared spectra of each extract using orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis. The C–N, C?O, C–O, C–H, and OH infrared signals were positively correlated with biological activity. The antioxidant activity of the fruit of M. charantia may be due to the presence of several antioxidants that work synergistically.     

Scheme for the teleportation of bipartite entangled state of the two cavity modes

In this paper, we propose a scheme for the teleportation of general two-partite entangled state of zero and one photon state from one bimodal cavity to another. The scheme can be realized by using cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED).     

Efficient post-plasma catalytic degradation of toluene via series of Co–Cu/TiO2 catalysts

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) represent a very important class of pollutants that causes serious health effects. There is an urgent requirement to establish...     

Benzimidazole tethered thioureas as a new entry to elastase inhibition and free radical scavenging: Synthesis,molecular docking,and enzyme inhibitory kinetics

The porcine pancreatic elastase inhibition and free-radical scavenging play a crucial role in age progression. All the series of 10 newly synthesized benzimidazole thioureas ( 4a-j ) were assessed for elastase inhibition and radical scavenging activity to identify the suitable anti-aging ingredient for cosmetics products. The compounds 4e , 4f , 4g , and 4h showed inhibition better than the standard, while compound 4f showed the most significant elastase inhibition with the IC₅₀ value of 1.318 ± 0.025 μM compared with oleanic acid IC₅₀ 13.451 ± 0.014 used ±1.989 and 41.563 ± 0.824, respectively, as standard. Molecular docking studies were performed and the compound 4f showed binding energy of 7.2 kcal/mol. Kinetics studies revealed inhibition of the pancreatic elastase in a competitive manner. The relative binding energy and structure activity relationship (SAR) identified compound 4f as an effective inhibitor of porcine pancreatic elastase. Compounds 4e and 4i showed remarkable free-radical scavenging activity with SC₅₀ values of 26.421.     

Nonplanar Electrostatic Solitary Waves in a Relativistic Degenerate Dense Plasma

By employing the reductive perturbation technique, the propagation of cylindrical and spherical ion acoustic solitary waves is studied in an unmagnetized dense relativistic plasma, consisting of relativistically degenerate electrons and cold fluid ions. A modified Korteweg-de-Vries equation is derived and its numerical solutions have been analyzed to identify the basic features of electrostatic solitary structures that may form in such a degenerate Fermi plasma. Different degrees of relativistic electron degeneracy are discussed and compared. It is found that increasing number density leads to decrease the amplitude the width of the ion acoustic solitary wave in both the cylindrical and spherical geometries. The relevance of the work to the compact astrophysical objects, particularly white dwarfs is pointed out.