A deep learning method for estimating the boiling heat transfer coefficient of porous surfaces

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Owing to the high nucleation site density and relatively robust behavior, sintered coated surfaces are of great interest for thermal management via...     

Development of a novel LC–MS/MS method for detection and quantification of tramadol hydrochloride in presence of some mislabeled drugs: Application to counterfeit study

Counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals has become a serious problem all over the world, particularly in developing countries. In the present work, a highly sensitive LC–MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous determination of tramadol hydrochloride in the presence of some suspected mislabeled drugs such as alprazolam, diazepam, chlorpheniramine maleate, diphenylhydramine and paracetamol. The prepared samples were analyzed on an API 4000 mass spectrometer using an Eclipse C₁₈ column (3.5 μm, 4.6 × 100 mm). The mobile phase consisting of 0.01% formic acid, acetonitrile and methanol (60:20:20 v/v/v) was pumped with an isocratic elution at a flow rate of 0.7 mL min^?1. The detection was achieved on a triple quadruple tandem mass spectrometer in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The proposed method was successfully validated according to International Conference on Harmonization guidelines with respect to accuracy, precision, linearity, limit of detection and limit of quantitation. The calibration linear range for tramadol hydrochloride, alprazolam, diazepam, chlorpheniramine maleate, diphenylhydramine and paracetamol was 5–500 ng mL^?1. The results revealed that the applied method is promising for the differentiation of genuine tramadol tablets from counterfeit ones without prior separation.     

Synthesis,characterization, and biological screening of metal complexes of novel sulfonamide derivatives: Experimental and theoretical analysis of sulfonamide crystal

This study reports the synthesis of sulfonamide-derived Schiff bases as ligands L ¹ and L ² as well as their transition metal complexes [VO(IV), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II)]. The Schiff bases (4-{E-[(2-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)methylidene]amino}benzene-1-sulfonamide ( L ¹ ) and 4-{[(2-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)methylidene]amino}-N-(5-methyl-1,2-oxazol-3-yl)benzene-1-sulfonamide ( L ² ) were synthesized by the condensation reaction of 4-aminobenzene-1-sulfonamide and 4-amino-N-(3-methyl-2,3-dihydro-1,2-oxazol-5-yl)benzene-1-sulfonamide with 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde in an equimolar ratio. Sulfonamide core ligands behaved as bidentate ligands and coordinated with transition metals via nitrogen of azomethine and the oxygen of the hydroxyl group. Ligand L ¹ was recovered in its crystalline form and was analyzed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique which held monoclinic crystal system with space group (P2₁/c). The structures of the ligands L ¹ and L ² and their transition metal complexes were established by their physical (melting point, color, yields, solubility, magnetic susceptibility, and conductance measurements), spectral (UV–visible [UV–Vis], Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and mass analysis), and analytical (CHN analysis) techniques. Furthermore, computational analysis (vibrational bands, frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), and natural bonding orbitals [NBOs]) were performed for ligands through density functional theory utilizing B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level and UV–Vis analysis was carried out by time-dependent density functional theory. Theoretical spectroscopic data were in line with the experimental spectroscopic data. NBO analysis confirmed the extraordinary stability of the ligands in their conjugative interactions. Global reactivity parameters computed from the FMO energies indicated the ligands were bioactive by nature. These procedures ensured the charge transfer phenomenon for the ligands and reasonable relevance was established with experimental results. The synthesized compounds were screened for antimicrobial activities against bacterial (Streptococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Eshcheria coli, and Klebsiella pneomoniae) species and fungal (Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavous) strains. A further assay was designed for screening of their antioxidant activities (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazine radical scavenging activity, total phenolic contents, and total iron reducing power) and enzyme inhibition properties (amylase, protease, acetylcholinesterase, and butyrylcholinesterase). The substantial results of these activities proved the ligands and their transition metal complexes to be bioactive in their nature.     

An efficient meshless computational technique to simulate nonlinear anomalous reaction–diffusion process in two-dimensional space

Nonlinear Dynamics - In this paper, a numerical simulation of an anomalous reaction–diffusion process in two-dimensional space with a nonlinear source term is presented. An efficient and...     

Non-thermal Plasma Induced Expression of Heat Shock Factor A4A and Improved Wheat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis> L.) Growth and Resistance Against Salt Stress

There is a huge interest in making and applying innovating functional devices based on basic sciences (like physics) to improve plant growth and resistance against various stress conditions. This research was carried out in order to investigate effects of cold plasma on expressions of heat shock factor A4A (HSFA4A), plant growth and post reactions to salt stress. Wheat seedlings were treated with plasma (0.84 W/cm² surface power densities) at different exposure times. In both three and 6 h after plasma, inductions in expressions of HSFA4A were recorded in roots, compared to control. Six hours after treatments, plasma-induced the shoot expressions of HSFA4A in the treated seedlings, contrasted to 3 h. Plasma treatment caused not the only enhancement in shoot fresh and dry mass and total leaf area, but also alleviated adverse impacts of salinity. Destroying impacts of salinity on chlorophyll contents were mitigated by plasma. Peroxidase activity was decreased by 27% for salinity treatment alone over control, while it was increased by 15% for plasma and salinity-treated samples, compared to salinity control. The highest activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) were found in plasma treatment alone. PAL activity was found to be higher in plasma-pretreated seedlings counteracted to salt stress, relative to the salinity control. The plasma treatment may act as an effective elicitor to modify gene expression, thereby improving plant growth and resistance. Plasma technology should be considered as a new functional technology in plant sciences.     

Studies on relation between columnar order and electrical conductivity in HAT6 discotic liquid crystals using temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopy and DFT calculations

The vibrational property of 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexakis(hexyloxy)triphenylene (HAT6) discotic liquid crystal (DLC) material is investigated in this research by using temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopy technique. One-dimensional (1D) charge transport mechanism in the DLC molecules is enabled in the columnar liquid crystalline (D_h) phase. The result indicates a high core-to-core correlation in the liquid crystal columnar phase, which has a ‘memory’ like effect that extends into isotropic phase at femtosecond timescale. This correlation is also confirmed through electrical conductivity measurement of DLCs, in which the electrical conductivity is enhanced in the DLC phase. DFT simulation was also carried out in order to elucidate the basic properties of HAT6 such as the band gap in the light of Raman spectra. An interesting outcome is that a freely unspecified boundary model produces in a more flexible molecule, resulting in a reduced band gap. Thus, this work provides an understanding of relationship between columnar order and electrical conductivity of HAT6 molecule, and potential strategy for design of DLCs in electronics application.     

Human Health Risk Surveillance Through the Determination of Organochlorine Pesticides by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography in Water,Sediments, and Fish from the Chenab River,Pakistan

The current study assessed the spatiotemporal variations and human health surveillance associated with organochlorine pesticide (OCP) contamination in water, sediments, and fish from Chenab River, Pakistan. The OCP determinations were performed using high-performance liquid chromatography with a reverse-phase C18 column. The total OCP levels ranged from 13.33 to 274.59?ng/L in water, 4.63 to 239.11?ng/g in sediments, and 23.79 to 387.12?ng/g in fish species. The overall pattern of mean OCP concentrations followed the order as ΣDDTs?>?Σendosulfan?>?aldrin and OCP pollution pattern among the headworks were Khanki Barrage?>?Qadirabad Barrage?>?Trimmu Barrage?>?Marala Barrage in all three environmental matrixes during both seasons. The estimated daily intake (EDI) for ∑OCPs was found to be 22.44?ng/kg/day. The hazard ratios calculated to assess the carcinogenic risk indicated that the values for ∑DDT and aldrin at the 95th percentile concentrations were greater than one, indicating the probability of carcinogenic risk occurrence of one in million populations due to fish consumption. Therefore, these high levels of OCPs and carcinogenic risk through fish consumption highlight the needs of immediate elimination of OCPs from riverine environment of Chenab River and we recommend long-term monitoring-based freshwater ecological studies to be conducted in the study area.     

Lipase-catalyzed green synthesis of starch–maleate monoesters and its characterization

The present study reports the green synthesis of starch–maleate (SM) at ambient temperature in solvent-free system using Rhizopus arrhizus lipase as a biocatalyst and maleic acid (MA) as an esterification agent. The synthetic scheme was found to be efficient, economical, and ecofriendly. The newly synthesized SM samples were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopic techniques. The degree of substitution (DS) was found in the range of 0.53–0.62. Moreover, DS was found to be temperature and time-dependent. X-ray diffraction (XRD) exhibited that maleation did not change the crystalline nature of native starch. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that size of SM granules was in the range of 4–18 µm. The activation energy (E_a) of SM formation was calculated to be 42.94 kcal mol^?1 which clearly indicated the effective and rapid interaction of functional groups. Hence, the solvent-free solid-state synthetic methodology proved to be excellent for the synthesis of novel biomaterials with appreciable high DS for drug delivery and sorption of heavy metal ions from water.     

Electrochemical sensing and simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid,dopamine and uric acid at nickel nanoparticles/poly (1,2-diaminoanthraquinone) modified electrode

A highly sensitive sensor based on Ni nanoparticles/poly (1,2-diaminoanthraquinone) modified electrode was fabricated at glassy carbon (GC) electrode (Ni/PDAAQ@GC ME) using cyclic voltammetry technique. The incorporation of nickel (II) ions nanoparticles (Ni NPs) followed by anodic polarization process was achieved. Surface morphologies of both PDAAQ@GC ME and Ni/PDAAQ@GC MEs were studied by scanning electron microscope. Ni/PDAAQ@GC ME was tested for simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) by square wave voltammetry technique. The ME showed excellent electrocatalytic activity toward electrooxidation of these biomolecules in their single, binary and ternary systems in alkaline 0.1 M NaOH solutions. Experiment revealed that the low detection limits (LOD) for AA, DA and UA were 0.11, 0.072 and 1.2 µM in single system, respectively, and 0.069, 0.29 and 0.12 µM in ternary system, respectively.     

Biological entities as chemical reactors for synthesis of nanomaterials: Progress,challenges and future perspective

Synthesis of nanomaterials is being gained extensive attention in the fields of chemistry, applied physics, catalysis, drug delivery and the most important in diagnosis and therapeutic applications. Recently, many reports have been published on physical and chemical synthesis of magnetic as well as metallic nanoparticles (NPs) with viable surface functionalization, but still there is a dire need of such strategies that can combine synthetic methodology with stable surface modification found in nature. Synthesis of NPs via biological methods is the possible way to solve these barriers. However, systematized summary and outlooks of NPs synthesis via biological entities with various influencing factors e.g. temperature, pH, concentration of reactants and reaction time has rarely been reported. This review will present the distinct advantages of biological synthesis of NPs over physical and chemical methods. It will also highlight the recent progress on synthesis of NPs via various biological systems i.e. plant, fungus, bacteria, and yeast. Furthermore, it will explain various factors that control the size, shape, and morphology of these NPs. Finally, it would present the future perspectives of green chemistry for the development of nano-science and -biotechnology.