Numerical computation of natural convection in an isosceles triangular cavity with a partially active base and filled with a Cu–water nanofluid

This paper discusses the results of a study related to natural convection cooling of a heat source located on the bottom wall of an inclined isosceles triangular enclosure filled with a Cu water-nanofluid. The right and left walls of the enclosure are both maintained cold at constant equal temperatures, while the remaining parts of the bottom wall are insulated. The study has been carried out for a Rayleigh number in the range 10⁴ ≤ Ra ≤ 10⁶, for a heat source length in the range 0.2 ≤ ε ≤0.8, for a solid volume fraction in the range 0 ≤ ?≤0.06 and for an inclination angle in the range 0° ≤ δ≤45°. Results are presented in the form of streamline contours, isotherms, maximum temperature at the heat source surface and average Nusselt number. It is noticed that the addition of Cu nanoparticles enhances the heat transfer rate and therefore cooling effectiveness for all values of Rayleigh number, especially at low values of Ra. The effect of the inclination angle becomes more noticeable as one increases the value of Ra. For high Rayleigh numbers, a critical value for the inclination angle of δ = 15° is found for which the heat source maximum temperature is highest.     

Effect of electromagnetic actuations on the dynamics of a harmonically excited cantilever beam

The influence of electromagnetic actuators (EMAs) on the frequency response of a harmonically excited cantilever beam is investigated analytically, numerically and experimentally in this paper. Specifically, the intensity of the current generating the EMAs force is varied and its effect on the dynamic behavior of the system is analyzed. Analytical treatment based on perturbation analysis is performed on a simplified equation modeling the one mode vibration of the cantilever beam. Results indicated that EMAs produce a softening behavior in the system. Further, it is shown that as the current intensity of EMAs increases, the resonance curve shifts toward smaller values of frequency and the non-linear characteristic of the system becomes softer. The analytical predictions have been verified numerically and confirmed experimentally using a test rig.     

Conductance Study and Thermodynamics of Some Substituted Ammonium Salts with Crown Ethers in Aqueous Solution

A conductance study of the interaction between substituted ammonium ions with three crown ethers in aqueous solution has been carried out at different temperatures. The formation constants of the 1 : 1 complexes at various temperatures were determined from the molar conductance-mole ratio data and found to vary in the order 18C6 > 15C5 > 12C4 for the same salt and with the same crown, the formation constants vary in the order (C2H5)3NHCl > (C2H5)4NBr > (CH3)3NPhI.The enthalpy and entropy of complexation were determined from the temperature dependence of the formation constants. The results indicate that the complexation process is enthalpy unfavored and entropy favored. The influence on the thermodynamic data for different parameters such as cavity size of crown ethers and nature of salt are discussed.     

Conductance and Thermodynamic Study of the Interaction of Mixed Oxygen–N2–Donor Macrocycles with Ag(I), Ni(II) and Fe(III) in Acetonitrile Solutions

The thermodynamic stabilities of Ag⁺, Ni²⁺ and Fe³⁺with diaza-crown ethers have been determinedconductometrically in acetonitrile at temperatures of 293, 298, 303 and 308 K.Both the size of the macrocyclic ring and the hard and soft acidand base (HSAB) character of the metal ions influence the relative stabilities of the complexes. For the metal ions with diazacrown ethers the values of log K_f for the 1 : 1 complexesfollow the order Ag⁺ > Ni²⁺ > Fe³⁺in accordance with Pearson's principle of HSAB character. The enthalpy and entropy of complexation were determined from the temperature dependence of the complexationconstants. The complexation process is entropy governed.     

Surface plasmons reveal spin crossover in nanometric layers

Nano-objects and thin films displaying molecular spin-crossover phenomena have recently attracted much attention. However, the investigation of spin crossover at reduced sizes is still a big challenge. Here we demonstrate that surface plasmon polariton waves propagating along the interface between a metal and a dielectric layer can be used to detect the spin-state changes in the latter with high sensitivity, even at the nanometer scale.     

Practical tests for randomized complete block designs

A class of affine-invariant test statistics, including a sign test and a related family of signed-rank tests, is proposed for randomized complete block designs with one observation per treatment. This class is obtained by using the transformation-retransformation approach of Chakraborty, Chaudhuri and Oja along with a directional transformation due to Tyler. Under the minimal assumption of directional symmetry of the underlying distribution, the null asymptotic distribution of the sign test statistic is shown to be chi-square with p-1 degrees of freedom. The same null distribution is also proved for the family of signed-rank statistics under the assumption of symmetry of the underlying distribution. The Pitman asymptotic relative efficiencies of the tests, relative to Hotelling-Hsu's T² are established. Several score functions are discussed including a simple linear score function and the optimal normal score function. The test based on the linear score function is compared to the other members of this family and other statistics in the literature through efficiency calculations and Monte Carlo simulations. This statistic has an excellent performance over a wide range of distributions and for small as well as large dimensions.     

Synthesis and properties of a new copper(II)-hafnium phosphate Cu0.5Hf2(PO4)3

Phosphates of general formula M_0.5Hf₂(PO₄)₃ with M=Cd²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺ and Cu²⁺ were prepared by coprecipitation and characterized by several physical techniques. The compounds containing Cd²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺ belong to the Nasicon-type structure, whereas Cu_0.5Hf₂(PO₄)₃ exhibited substantially different DRX patterns. Combined temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) showed that the copper in Cu_0.5Hf₂(PO₄)₃ was distributed between two energetically different sites in proportions respectively equal to 40 and 60%. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) investigations confirmed the TPR/TPO results and revealed that the two sites hosting the Cu²⁺ ions are of orthorhombic symmetry. Moreover, the Cu²⁺ ions might be reduced by hydrogen to Cu⁺. These results were also supported by the UV–visible studies that showed the disappearance, under reducing conditions, of the band corresponding to crystal field transitions of Cu²⁺ ions and the emergence of a new peak attributed to the transitions between (3d)¹⁰ and (3d)⁹(4s)¹ Cu⁺ levels. At the same time, IR spectroscopy confirmed that protons entered the open lattice framework of the material and gave rise to a new protonated phase containing monovalent copper Cu_0.5^IH_0.5Hf₂(PO₄)₃. This redox process was proven to be reversible without any subsequent change in the network of the phosphate.     

New functional polyamides derived from citric acid and L-lysine: Synthesis and characterization

New functional aliphatic polyamides bearing pendant carboxylic acid and tertiary alcohol groups have been synthesized by step-growth polymerization of protected citric acid in the diacyl chloride activated form and protected L-lysine using the interfacial method. It has been found that a secondary reaction occurs during polymerization and leads to the formation of intramolecular imide cycles. Cleavage of protecting groups and partial or total hydrolysis of imide functions were carried out stepwisely. Resulting structural changes are discussed on the basis of IR and ¹³C NMR data.     

Reactive intermediates from DMDO oxidation of ynamides. Trapping of a de novo chiral push-pull carbene via cyclopropanation

The reaction profile of DMDO oxidations of ynamides is described. This work illustrates the first examples of highly diastereoselective intramolecular cyclopropanations of a push-pull carbene derived from alkyne oxidation. In addition, the ynamide oxidation provides facile access to ketoimides and reveals mechanistic insights into the chemistry of electronically biased oxirenes.