Exponential stability in one‐dimensional non‐linear thermoelasticity with second sound

In this paper, we consider a one‐dimensional non‐linear system of thermoelasticity with second sound. We establish an exponential decay result for solutions with small ‘enough’ initial data. This work extends the result of Racke (Math. Methods Appl. Sci. 2002; 25 :409–441) to a more general situation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of telechelic oligomers by atom transfer radical polymerization: A study of acrylate monomers

Different acrylate oligomers were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization in the presence of a transfer agent and CuBr/1,1,4,7,10,10‐hexamethyltriethylenetetramine. The functionality in bromine was determined by ¹H NMR. These oligomers were coupled in the presence of Cu⁽⁰⁾ and the ligand 2,2′‐bipyridine. The coupling yield was determined by size exclusion chromatography and NMR analysis and depended on the nature of the monomer and not on the molecular weight. In other words, the preliminary functionalization of the brominated chain end with styrene increased the coupling yield. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2377‐2394, 2005     

Fabrication of new polypyrrole/silicon nitride hybrid materials for potential applications in electrochemical sensors: Synthesis and characterization

In this research, an efficient fabrication process of conducting polypyrrole (PPy)/silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) hybrid materials were developed in order to be employed as transducers in electrochemical sensors used in various environmental and biomedical applications. The fabrication process was assisted by oxidative polymerization of pyrrole (Py) monomer on the surface of Si/SiO₂/Si₃N₄ substrate in presence of FeCl₃ as oxidant. To improve the adhesion of PPy layer to Si₃N₄ surface, a pyrrole-silane (SPy) was chemically bonded through silanization process onto the Si₃N₄ surface before deposition of PPy layer. After Py polymerization, Si/SiO₂/Si₃N₄-(SPy-PPy) substrate was formed. The influence of SPy concentration and temperature of silanization process on chemical composition and surface morphology of the prepared Si/SiO₂/Si₃N₄-(SPy-PPy) substrates was studied by FTIR and SEM. In addition, the electrical properties of the prepared substrates were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It was found that the best silanization reaction conditions to get Si/SiO₂/Si₃N₄-(SPy-PPy) substrate with high PPy adhesion and good electrical conductivity were obtained by using SPy at low concentration (4.3 mM) at 90°C. These promising findings open the way for fabrication of new hybrid materials which can be used as transducers in miniaturized sensing devices for various environmental and biomedical applications.     

Laplace Equation on a Domain With a Cuspidal Point in Little Hölder Spaces

In this paper, we give new results about existence, uniqueness and regularity properties for solutions of Laplace equation $$\Delta u = h \quad {\rm in} \, \Omega$$ where Ω is a cusp domain. We impose nonhomogeneous Dirichlet conditions on some part of ?Ω. The second member h will be taken in the little Hölder space ${h^{2 \sigma}(\bar{\Omega})}$ with ${\sigma \, \in \, ]0, \, 1/2[}$ . Our approach is based essentially on the study of an abstract elliptic differential equation set in an unbounded domain. We will use the continuous interpolation spaces and the generalized analytic semigroup theory.     

Global existence and decay of solutions of a nonlinear system of wave equations

This work is concerned with a system of two wave equations with nonlinear damping and source terms acting in both equations. Under some restrictions on the nonlinearity of the damping and the source terms, we show that our problem has a unique local solution. Also, we prove that, for some restrictions on the initial data, the rate of decay of the total energy is exponential or polynomial depending on the exponents of the damping terms in both equations.     

Efficiency of succinylated-olive stone biosorbent on the removal of cadmium ions from aqueous solutions

Chemical functionalization of olive stone wastes with succinate linkers can potentially improve the performance of wastewater treatment technologies via enhanced adsorption and high affinity of the covalently attached succinate groups for heavy metals. In this study, a novel reusable adsorbent material based on agricultural waste has been synthesized by esterifying the lignocellulosic matrix of olive stones with succinic anhydride in toluene under basic conditions. Characterization of the as-prepared material by FTIR and solid-state MAS ¹³C NMR spectroscopies and TGA confirmed that the heterogeneous esterification has proceeded very efficiently to yield the succinylated-olive stone (S–OS). Subsequent alkaline treatment of S–OS with saturated NaHCO₃ aqueous solution led to the resulting sodic material (NaS–OS), which was subjected to batch experiments in order to evaluate its cadmium-removing efficiency from aqueous solutions at realistic concentrations of cadmium found in industrial effluents. The results obtained from the sorption characteristics have revealed that NaS–OS material is highly effective in removing cadmium from aqueous solutions, with a maximum uptake capacity of 200 mg g⁻¹ (1.78 mmol g⁻¹). The Langmuir isotherm model was found to fit adequately the equilibrium isotherm data. Cadmium adsorption occurs rapidly and the adsorption mechanism is a chemical sorption via ionic exchange between the adsorbate and adsorbent. Thermodynamic parameters were also evaluated from the effect of temperature studies. Regenerability of NaS–OS material was ascertained by quantitative desorption of cadmium with 1 M aqueous NaCl and the reusability of the matrix after five repeated cycles led to nearly no attenuation in its performance (less than 2% in the sorption capacity), indicating that repeated use of NaS–OS is quite feasible. Compared to other low-cost adsorbents utilized for the removal of Cd(II) from water/wastewater, NaS–OS shows higher sorption capacity. These results have important implications for the design of low-cost adsorbents based on agricultural wastes.     

Cytotoxicity of new secondary metabolites,fatty acids and tocols composition of seeds of Ducrosia anethifolia (DC.) Boiss

Two new monoterpene Ducrosin A (1) and sesquiterpene Ducrosin B (2) were isolated along with three known compounds, stigmasterol (3) and two furanocoumarins (4 and 5), from the dichloromethane extract of the seeds of Ducrosia anethifolia (DC.) Boiss. Their structures were determined using extensive 1D and 2D NMR, (ES)-HRMS and IR spectroscopic analyses and by comparison with literature data. Gas chromatography analysis of the fatty acids (FAs) of D. anethifolia seed oils (DAOs) showed high percentages of elaidic acid (C18:1 Δ9t) 65% and oleic acid (C18:1 Δ9c) 15%. The total tocopherol (tocols) content in DAOs was found to be 164 mg/100 g. The cytotoxic effect of the isolates was also evaluated using the MTT assay against the HCT-116 and SKOV-3 cell lines. The results showed that compound 2 was the most cytotoxic agent followed by compounds 1 and 4, which has an epoxide moiety that most likely contributes to its activity.     

Elaboration and characterization of electrochemically prepared H+-doped polyaniline/Au/a-SiC:H-based chemical sensor

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In this work, we have elaborated and characterized polyaniline (PANI) thin films doped with sulfuric acid (H2SO4) using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The PANI...     

Dynamics of ionization mechanisms in relativistic collisions involving heavy and highly-charged ions

The dynamics of mechanisms associated with the ionization of inner-shell electrons in relativistic collisions involving heavy and highly-charged ions is investigated within a nonperturbative approach formulated explicitly in the time domain. The theoretical treatment is based on the exact numerical solution of the time dependent Dirac equation for two Coulomb centers on a lattice in momentum space. We present results for ionization in encounters between 100 MeV/u Au⁷⁹⁺ projectile ions impinging on a hydrogen-like uranium target. By directly visualizing the collision dynamics we identify a new ionization mechanism in which electrons are emitted from the internuclear region preferentially in the transverse direction with respect to the projectile trajectory. A striking characteristic of this ionization mechanism is that the velocity of the electron is higher than the projectile velocity. Received 26 June 2001 and Received in final form 27 November 2001