Effective thermal conductivity of granulated two-phase systems at interstitial air pressures

Considering the htermal conduction through molecular collisions an expression for the effective thermal conductivityλ _e of loose and granular two-phase materials at different interstitial air pressure has been derived. The dependence ofλ _e on pore and particle sizes, characteristic pressure and radiative heat transfer is also discussed. Calculated values ofλ _e of glass beads and loose building materials are compared with reported results.     

Heat transfer for laminar flow through parallel porous disks of different permeability

The problem of temperature distribution and heat transfer for laminar flow through two parallel porous disks of different permeability, has been investigated when the flow is entirely due to injection and/or suction at the two disks. Viscous dissipation terms have been included in the energy equation and the injection and/or suction velocities at the two disks are assumed to be small. The boundaries are kept at constant temperatures. The variation of temperature and Nusselt numbers at the two disks has been graphically depicted for various values of the injection and suction velocities.     

Biocompatibility of gold nanoparticles and their endocytotic fate inside the cellular compartment: a microscopic overview

Macrophages are one of the principal immune effector cells that play essential roles as secretory, phagocytic, and antigen-presenting cells in the immune system. In this study, we address the issue of cytotoxicity and immunogenic effects of gold nanoparticles on RAW264.7 macrophage cells. The cytotoxicity of gold nanoparticles has been correlated with a detailed study of their endocytotic uptake using various microscopy tools such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), confocal-laser-scanning microscopy (CFLSM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Our findings suggest that Au(0) nanoparticles are not cytotoxic, reduce the production of reactive oxygen and nitrite species, and do not elicit secretion of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL1-beta, making them suitable candidates for nanomedicine. AFM measurements suggest that gold nanoparticles are internalized inside the cell via a mechanism involving pinocytosis, while CFLSM and TEM studies indicate their internalization in lysosomal bodies arranged in perinuclear fashion. Our studies thus underline the noncytotoxic, nonimmunogenic, and biocompatible properties of gold nanoparticles with the potential for application in nanoimmunology, nanomedicine, and nanobiotechnology.     

Bounds on the effective thermal conductivity of two-phase systems

The weighted geometric mean of resistors considered for determining the effective thermal conductivityK _E of two-phase systems has been optimised. Solutions of the equations lead to a useful set of bounds. When compared with other bounds the present bounds give the better results in estimating the upper and lower values of the effective thermal conductivity of a two-phase system.     

Determination of rare earths in low grade uranium ores and SRM-rock by instrumental neutron activation analysis

An instrumental neutron activation analysis technique has been developed for simultaneous determination of 10 REE in low grade U/Zr ores and other geological materials. The samples were irradiated with reactor neutrons for 2 min to 8 hrs followed by a cooling of 30 min to 3 weeks. The γ-ray activity was measured with a semi-planar Ge(Li) detector. A precision of 5% has been obtained by the repeated analysis of NBS-SRM. The technique is relatively simple and adaptable on the routine basis.     

Optimal execution with weighted impact functions: a quadratic programming approach

In this paper, we develop optimal trading strategies for a risk averse investor by minimizing the expected cost and the risk of execution. Here we consider a law of motion for price which uses a convex combination of temporary and permanent market impact. In the special case of unconstrained problem for a risk neutral investor, we obtain a closed form solution for optimal trading strategies by using dynamic programming. For a general problem, we use a quadratic programming approach to get approximate dynamic optimal trading strategies. Further, numerical examples of optimal execution strategies are provided for illustration purposes.     

WEB‐spline based mesh‐free finite element analysis for the heat equation and the time‐dependent Navier–Stokes equation: A survey

In this article, we give some numerical techniques and error estimates using web‐spline based mesh‐free finite element method for the heat equation and the time‐dependent Navier–Stokes equations on bounded domains. The web‐spline method uses weighted extended B‐splines on a regular grid as basis functions and does not require any grid generation. We demonstrate the method by providing numerical results for the Poisson's and stationary Stokes equation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2013     

A New Class of Stabilized WEB-Spline-Based Mesh-Free Finite Elements for the Approximation of Maxwell Equations

The objective of this article is to discuss the existence and the uniqueness of a weighted extended B-spline-(WEB-spline) based discrete solution for the Maxwell equations in low frequency limit. The domain is composed of insulating and conducting regions. This problem has saddle point structure where the electric field in insulating region is the Lagrange multiplier that forces curl-free constraint on the magnetic field.     

Langmuir probe and spectroscopic studies of RF generated helium-nitrogen mixture plasma

This paper reports the effect of helium percentage variation in a capacitive RF helium-nitrogen mixture plasma on various plasma parameters and concentration of nitrogen active species (N₂(C³Π _u) and N₂ ⁺(B²Σ _u ⁺)). Langmuir probe is used for determination of electron energy distribution functions, effective electron temperature, plasma potential and electron density. Optical emission spectroscopy is used for determination of electron temperature from Boltzmann's plot of He–I lines and the relative changes in the concentration of active species by measuring the emission intensities of nitrogen (0-0) bands of the second positive and the first negative systems. The results demonstrate that electron temperature, electron density and concentration of active species increase significantly with increase in helium percentage in the mixture and RF power.     

Photodamage and Photoprotection: An In vivo Approach Using Noninvasive Probes

Solar radiations trigger the physiological alteration in skin which progress toward photoaging. Sunscreens are known to be effective against the photodamaging effects of sunlight. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent to which aging signs caused by real‐life sunlight exposure could be avoided by comparing various parameters between sun‐exposed and sun‐protected skin using noninvasive probes. Female volunteers (n = 11) after getting their consent were provided with marketed sunscreen product to apply onto their skin for 6 months. Measurements were scheduled every 15 days from the baseline reading for 6 months. Cutometer, Mexameter and Corneometer were used for evaluation of facial skin parameters. Clinical evaluations showed the effects of sunlight exposure on different skin parameters by comparing sun‐protected and unprotected skin, where Gross elasticity (R2), Net elasticity (R5), Viscoelasticity (R6) and Biological elasticity (R7) showed insignificant results, while Hydration, Melanin and Erythema showed significant results. Sun‐exposed skin presented 0.72%, 0.66%, 0.77%, 1.39%, 1.99%, 2.01% and 3.15% changes in R2, R5, R6 and R7, melanin, erythema and hydration, respectively, which were potentially prevented by sunscreen application. Premature aging is inhibited by following photoprotective regimen on routine basis, emphasizing the potential benefit of sunscreen against early aging signs.