Investigation of thermophysical properties of nanofluids containing poly(vinyl alcohol)-functionalized graphene

An experimental study was performed to evaluate the colloidal stability of water-based polyvinyl alcohol-functionalized few-layer graphene (water-based PVA–Gr) nanofluids and ethylene glycol-based polyvinyl alcohol-functionalized few-layer graphene (EG-based PVA–Gr) nanofluids. To this end, a liquid-phase exfoliation method was employed for mass production of graphene sheets (Gr). Then, a simple and novel method was introduced to do a direct functionalization of Gr with PVA. Surface functionality groups and morphology of PVA–Gr were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results consistently confirmed the formation of PVA functionalities on Gr, while the structure of GNP has remained relatively intact. Then, UV–Vis was employed to investigate the stability of PVA–Gr in water and EG. The easily miscible PVA functionalities formed a great colloidal stability for Gr sheets. As a second criterion for having a promising coolant, thermophysical properties were measured experimentally. The thermal conductivity, density and viscosity of the nanofluids at concentrations of 0.025, 0.05 and 0.1 mass% were experimentally measured. As compared to the base fluid, the water-based PVA–Gr nanofluids show a significant enhancement at different conditions, like representing ~40% enhancement for 0.1 mass% at 40 °C. This simple and efficient procedure may play an important role for mass production of hydrophilic Gr, which be able to disperse in different solvents.     

Mathematical modelling for extraction of oil from Dracocephalum kotschyi seeds in supercritical carbon dioxide

Extraction of oil from Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss seeds using supercritical carbon dioxide was designed using central composite design to evaluate the effect of various operating parameters including pressure, temperature, particle size and extraction time on the oil yield. Maximum extraction yield predicted from response surface method was 71.53% under the process conditions with pressure of 220 bar, temperature of 35 °C, particle diameter of 0.61 mm and extraction time of 130 min. Furthermore, broken and intact cells model was utilised to consider mass transfer kinetics of extracted natural materials. The results revealed that the model had a good agreement with the experimental data. The oil samples obtained via supercritical and solvent extraction methods were analysed by gas chromatography. The most abundant acid was linolenic acid. The results analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the fatty acid contents of the oils obtained by the supercritical and solvent extraction techniques.     

Immunogenic Potential and Therapeutic Efficacy of Multi-Epitope Encapsulated Silk Fibroin Nanoparticles against Pseudomonas aeruginosa-Mediated Urinary Tract Infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) causing urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a major concern among hospital-acquired infections. The need for an effective vaccine that reduces the infections is imperative. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a multi-epitope vaccine encapsulated in silk fibroin nanoparticles (SFNPs) against P. aeruginosa-mediated UTIs. A multi-epitope is constructed from nine proteins of P. aeruginosa using immunoinformatic analysis, expressed, and purified in BL21 (DE3) cells. The encapsulation efficiency of the multi-epitope in SFNPs is 85% with a mean particle size of 130 nm and 24% of the encapsulated antigen is released after 35 days. The vaccine formulations adjuvanted with SFNPs or alum significantly improve systemic and mucosal humoral responses and the cytokine profile (IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-17) in mice. Additionally, the longevity of the IgG response is maintained for at least 110 days in a steady state. In a bladder challenge, mice treated with the multi-epitope admixed with alum or encapsulated in SFNPs demonstrate significant protection of the bladder and kidneys against P. aeruginosa. This study highlights the promising therapeutic potential of a multi-epitope vaccine encapsulated in SFNPs or adjuvanted with alum against P. aeruginosa infections.     

The Synthesis of 4,11,18,25-Tetrachloro [14]metacyclophane-7,14,21,28-tetroi,Structural Analogues of Phloroglucides

The synthesis of the title compounds is described. Some of the compounds prepared exhibited antimicrobial activity in vitro. Structure-activity relationship is briefly discussed.     

Development a New Method for the Determination of Chloropromazine in Trace Amounts by Fast Fourier Continuous Cyclic Voltammetry at an Au Microelectrode in a Flowing System

In this study a new technique has been developed for the determination of chloropromazine in flow‐injection systems. The technique, named fast Fourier transformation continuous cyclic voltammetry (FFTCV), basically illustrates the benefits of sensitivity, selectivity, simplicity and low detection limit. It is also important to refer to the positive points, presented only by the use of this technique. Firstly, it is no longer necessary to remove the oxygen from the test solution. Furthermore, the quick determination of any such compound in many chromatographic methods is possible. Thirdly, the corresponding detection limit is of sub‐nanomolar level. Additionally, a special computer based numerical method is also introduced for the calculation of the analyte signal and noise reduction. The electrode response was calculated in accordance with the partial and total charge exchanges on the electrode surface, after the background current subtraction from that of noise. The integration range of currents was set for all the potential scan ranges, including oxidation and reduction of Au surface electrode, to obtain a sensitive determination. The performed experiments aimed at measuring the effects of different parameters on the method sensitivity. In the end of these measurements, it was concluded that the method was linear for the concentration range of 0.32–31900 pg/mL (r = 0.996) with a limit of detection and quantitation 0.1 and 0.32 pg/mL, respectively. For the achievement of these optimum results, the parameter values were set to 100 V/s for the scan rate, 0.4 s for accumulation time, 800 mV for accumulation potential and 2 for the pH.     

Shock Structures in Charge Variable Dusty Plasmas with Effect of Strongly Coupled Dust Particles

A theoretical investigation has been carried out to study the effect of strong electrostatic interaction on the dust acoustic shock structures in strongly coupled dusty plasma with dust charge fluctuations.The fluid approach is employed,in which the strong electrostatic interaction is modeled by effective electrostatic temperature.A Burger-like equation,the coefficients of which are significantly modified by effects of strong coupling and dust charge Ructuation,is derived.It is shown that the combined effects of dust charge Ructuation,the ion/electron temperature,the ion/electron population,and strong coupling effect modify the basic properties of the dust acoustic waves in such a strongly coupled dusty plasma.The results of this work are compared with those observed by some laboratory experiments.     

Synthesis and some properties of aminopropynylimidazoles

Conclusions A number of mono- and di (aminopropynyl) imidazoles was synthesized by the condensation of iodoimidazoles with N-substituted propargylamines, and some of their pharmacological properties were studied.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2638–2640, November, 1973.     

Hyaluronic Acid (HA)‐Based Silk Fibroin/Zinc Oxide Core–Shell Electrospun Dressing for Burn Wound Management

Burn injuries represent a major life‐threatening event that impacts the quality of life of patients, and places enormous demands on the global healthcare systems. This study introduces the fabrication and characterization of a novel wound dressing made of core–shell hyaluronic acid–silk fibroin/zinc oxide (ZO) nanofibers for treatment of burn injuries. The core–shell configuration enables loading ZO—an antibacterial agent—in the core of nanofibers, which in return improves the sustained release of the drug and maintains its bioactivity. Successful formation of core–shell nanofibers and loading of zinc oxide are confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, and energy dispersive X‐ray. The antibacterial activity of the dressings are examined against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and it is shown that addition of ZO improves the antibacterial property of the dressing in a dose‐dependent fashion. However, in vitro cytotoxicity studies show that high concentration of ZO (>3 wt%) is toxic to the cells. In vivo studies indicate that the wound dressings loaded with ZO (3 wt%) substantially improves the wound healing procedure and significantly reduces the inflammatory response at the wound site. Overall, the dressing introduced herein holds great promise for the management of burn injuries.     

Nonlinear dynamics of doubly curved shallow microshells

The nonlinear dynamical characteristics of a doubly curved shallow microshell are investigated thoroughly. A consistent nonlinear model for the microshell is developed on the basis of the modified couple stress theory (MCST) in an orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system. In particular, based on Donnell’s nonlinear theory, the expressions for the strain and the symmetric rotation gradient tensors are obtained in the framework of MCST, which are then used to derive the potential energy of the microshell. The analytical geometrically nonlinear equations of motion of the doubly microshell are obtained for in-plane displacements as well as the out-of-plane one. These equations of partial differential type are reduced to a large set of ordinary differential equations making use of a two-dimensional Galerkin scheme. Extensive numerical simulations are conducted to obtain the nonlinear resonant response of the system for various principal radii of curvature and to examine the effect of modal interactions and the length-scale parameter.