Stokes＇ first problem for the fourth order fluid in a porous half space

In this study, the flow of a fourth order fluid in a porous half space is modeled. By using the modified Darcy’s law, the flow over a suddenly moving flat plate is studied numerically. The influence of various parameters of interest on the velocity profile is revealed. The English text was polished by Keren Wang.     

Switchable catalysis: modular synthesis of functionalized Pyrimidinones via selective sulfide and halide cross-coupling chemistry

[reaction: see text] A general demonstration of orthogonal selectivity of the Liebeskind-Srogl cross-coupling protocol compared to the Suzuki-Miyaura and Stille variants is reported.     

Mixed ligand complexes involved in the system pyridoxamine-glycylglycine-imidazole copper(II)

Ternary as well as quaternary complexes involved in the system pyridoxamine-glycylglycine-imidazole-copper(II) have been studied by pH-metric titration at 37°C and I = 0.15 M (NaNO₃). The data were assessed by program MINIQUAD 75. The formation constants were compared with those obtained from the system of pyridoxamine-glycine-imidazole with some bivalent metal ions previously reported. They are ～ 2.5 log units less. In addition, the enhancement of quaternary complex formation has been described in terms of binary and ternary complex formation reactions. It has been also found that deprotonation of the peptidic proton of glycylglycine took place in the presence of more than one different ligand.     

Global lagrange stability of complex‐valued neural networks of neutral type with time‐varying delays

In this article, the problem of global exponential stability in Lagrange sense of neutral type complex‐valued neural networks (CVNNs) with delays is investigated. Two different classes of activation functions are considered, one can be separated into real part and imaginary part, and the other cannot be separated. Based on Lyapunov theory and analytic techniques, delay‐dependent criteria are provided to ascertain the aforementioned CVNNs to be globally exponentially stable GES in Lagrange sense. Moreover, the proposed sufficient conditions are presented in the form of linear matrix inequalities which could be easily checked by Matlab. Finally, two simulation examples are given out to demonstrate the validity of theory results. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 438–450, 2016     

Numerical analysis for peristalsis of Carreau–Yasuda nanofluid in an asymmetric channel with slip and Joule heating effects

This study investigates the peristaltic transport of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Carreau–Yasuda nanofluid through an asymmetric channel. Viscous dissipation, Joule heating and Hall effects are also included in the analysis. Velocity, thermal and concentration slip conditions are considered. The problem is modeled subject to long wavelength and low Reynolds number assumptions. Resulting nonlinear equations are numerically solved. Impact of embedded parameters on the fluid velocity, temperature, concentration of nanoparticles and heat and mass transfer rates at the wall are examined. Graphical results show that an escalation in the strength of appliedmagnetic field and increase in the value of Hall parameter reduce the velocity of nanofluid. Brownian motion and thermophoresis effects increase the temperature of the nanofluid. The present study shows an excellent agreement with the previously available studies in the limiting case.     

Opuntia dillenii (Ker Gawl.) Haw., Seeds Oil Antidiabetic Potential Using In Vivo,In Vitro,In Situ,and Ex Vivo Approaches to Reveal Its Underlying Mechanism of Action

Opuntia dillenii Ker Gawl. is one of the medicinal plants used for the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Morocco. This study aims to investigate the antihyperglycemic effect of Opuntia dillenii seed oil (ODSO), its mechanism of action, and any hypoglycemic risk and toxic effects. The antihyperglycemic effect was assessed using the OGTT test in normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats. The mechanisms of action were explored by studying the effect of ODSO on the intestinal absorption of d-glucose using the intestinal in situ single-pass perfusion technique. An Ussing chamber was used to explore the effects of ODSO on intestinal sodium-glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1). Additionally, ODSO’s effect on carbohydrate degrading enzymes, pancreatic α-amylase, and intestinal α-glucosidase was evaluated in vitro and in vivo using STZ-diabetic rats. The acute toxicity test on mice was performed, along with a single-dose hypoglycemic effect test. The results showed that ODSO significantly attenuated the postprandial hyperglycemia in normal and STZ-diabetic rats. Indeed, ODSO significantly decreased the intestinal d-glucose absorption in situ. The ex vivo test (Ussing chamber) showed that the ODSO significantly blocks the SGLT1 (IC₅₀ = 60.24 µg/mL). Moreover, ODSO indu\ced a significant inhibition of intestinal α-glucosidase (IC₅₀ = 278 ± 0.01 µg/mL) and pancreatic α-amylase (IC₅₀ = 0.81 ± 0.09 mg/mL) in vitro. A significant decrease of postprandial hyperglycemia was observed in sucrose/starch-loaded normal and STZ-diabetic ODSO-treated rats. On the other hand, ODSO had no risk of hypoglycemia on the basal glucose levels in normal rats. Therefore, no toxic effect was observed in ODSO-treated mice up to 7 mL/kg. The results of this study suggest that ODSO could be suitable as an antidiabetic functional food.     

Cellulose based pH-sensitive hydrogel for highly efficient dye removal in water treatment: kinetic,thermodynamic, theoretical and computational studies

In this paper, a new green pH-sensitive EDTA crosslinked HEC (cellulose-based hydrogel (swelling rate?~?1005%)) adsorbent was successfully elaborated. The synthesis of HEC-EDTA at the high advanced crosslinking degree (up to 92%), was carried out using DAEDT and DMAP as acyl transfer agent, where the lamellar morphology (2D-microstructure) was highly suggested based on the average functionality of the reaction system. The crosslinking degree was confirmed using structural analyzes (FTIR and 13C CP/MAS-NMR) and elemental profile analysis. The new EDTA crosslinked HEC demonstrated a high uptake capacity (~?2000 mg g^?1) to aquatic micropollutants, especially methylene blue as cationic dyes model. The kinetic study showed that the adsorption process was well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic, while the thermodynamic parameters exhibited a negative effect of temperature indicating a physical adsorption process. In addition, the adsorption capacity was studied varying to the experimental conditions (pH, contact time, concentration, etc.), and the Freundlich model revealed a strong correlation to the experimental data indicating an energetic heterogeneity of the surface active sites. Furthermore, using COMPASS II, the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted to optimize the chemical system, where the results showed the predominance of non-covalent molecular adsorbent-adsorbate interactions, which governs cluster design and configurations.

     

Recent Advances and Future Perspectives of Metal-Based Electrocatalysts for Overall Electrochemical Water Splitting

Recently, the growing demand for a renewable and sustainable fuel alternative is contingent on fuel cell technologies. Even though it is regarded as an environmentally sustainable method of generating fuel for immediate concerns, it must be enhanced to make it extraordinarily affordable, and environmentally sustainable. Hydrogen (H₂) synthesis by electrochemical water splitting (ECWS) is considered one of the foremost potential prospective methods for renewable energy output and H₂ society implementation. Existing massive H₂ output is mostly reliant on the steaming reformation of carbon fuels that yield CO₂ together with H₂ and is a finite resource. ECWS is a viable, efficient, and contamination-free method for H₂ evolution. Consequently, developing reliable and cost-effective technology for ECWS was a top priority for scientists around the globe. Utilizing renewable technologies to decrease total fuel utilization is crucial for H₂ evolution. Capturing and transforming the fuel from the ambient through various renewable solutions for water splitting (WS) could effectively reduce the need for additional electricity. ECWS is among the foremost potential prospective methods for renewable energy output and the achievement of a H₂-based economy. For the overall water splitting (OWS), several transition-metal-based polyfunctional metal catalysts for both cathode and anode have been synthesized. Furthermore, the essential to the widespread adoption of such technology is the development of reduced-price, super functional electrocatalysts to substitute those, depending on metals. Many metal-premised electrocatalysts for both the anode and cathode have been designed for the WS process. The attributes of H₂ and oxygen (O₂) dynamics interactions on the electrodes of water electrolysis cells and the fundamental techniques for evaluating the achievement of electrocatalysts are outlined in this paper. Special emphasis is paid to their fabrication, electrocatalytic performance, durability, and measures for enhancing their efficiency. In addition, prospective ideas on metal-based WS electrocatalysts based on existing problems are presented. It is anticipated that this review will offer a straight direction toward the engineering and construction of novel polyfunctional electrocatalysts encompassing superior efficiency in a suitable WS technique.     

A study on the convergence conditions of generalized differential transform method

This paper deals with constructing generalized ‘fractional’ power series representation for solutions of fractional order differential equations. We present a brief review of generalized Taylor's series and generalized differential transform methods. Then, we study the convergence of fractional power series. Our emphasis is to address the sufficient condition for convergence and to estimate the truncated error. Numerical simulations are performed to estimate maximum absolute truncated error when the generalized differential transform method is used to solve non‐linear differential equations of fractional order. The study highlights the power of the generalized differential transform method as a tool in obtaining fractional power series solutions for differential equations of fractional order. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterization of Polymer Architectures by Multidetection Size Exclusion Chromatography

Summary: This paper discusses the analysis of star-branched and dendritic polyisobutylenes (PIBs) using branching parameters based on radii of gyration R_g,z and hydrodynamic radii R_h,z. R_g,z and R_h,z were measured by Size Exclusion Chromatography equipped with a Wyatt Technology Viscostar viscometer (VIS), a Wyatt Optilab DSP RI detector, a Wyatt DAWN EOS 18 angle Multiangle Light Scattering (MALS) detector and a Wyatt Quasi-elastic Light Scattering QELS detector. Branching parameters were calculated from these measurements and compared with those computed for these architectures.