AN UNCONDITIONALLY STABLE HYBRID FE-FD SCHEME FOR SOLVING A 3-D HEAT TRANSPORT EQUATION IN A CYLINDRICAL THIN FILM WITH SUB-MICROSCALE THICKNESS

Heat transport at the microscale is of vital importance in microtechnology applications.The heat transport equation is different from the traditional heat transport equation since a second order derivative of temperature with respect to time and a third-order mixed derivative of temperature with respect to space and time are introduced. In this study,we develop a hybrid finite element-finite difference (FE-FD) scheme with two levels in time for the three dimensional heat transport equation in a cylindrical thin film with submicroscale thickness. It is shown that the scheme is unconditionally stable. The scheme is then employed to obtain the temperature rise in a sub-microscale cylindrical gold film. The method can be applied to obtain the temperature rise in any thin films with sub-microscale thickness, where the geometry in the planar direction is arbitrary.     

Green Synthesis and Characterization of Cobalt Oxide Nanoparticles Using Psidium guajava Leaves Extracts and Their Photocatalytic and Biological Activities

The advanced technology for synthesizing nanoparticles utilizes natural resources in an environmentally friendly manner. Additionally, green synthesis is preferred to chemical and physical synthesis because it takes less time and effort. The green synthesis of cobalt oxide nanoparticles has recently risen due to its physico-chemical properties. In this study, many functional groups present in Psidium guajava leaf extracts are used to stabilize the synthesis of cobalt oxide nanoparticles. The biosynthesized cobalt oxide nanoparticles were investigated using UV-visible spectroscopic analysis. Additionally, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the presence of carboxylic acids, hydroxyl groups, aromatic amines, alcohols and phenolic groups. The X-ray diffraction analysis showed various peaks ranging from 32.35 to 67.35°, and the highest intensity showed at 36.69°. The particle size ranged from 26 to 40 nm and confirmed the average particle size is 30.9 nm. The green synthesized P. guajava cobalt oxide nanoparticles contain cobalt as the major abundant element, with 42.26 wt% and 18.75 at% confirmed by the EDAX techniques. SEM images of green synthesized P. guajava cobalt oxide nanoparticles showed agglomerated and non-uniform spherical particles. The anti-bacterial activity of green synthesized P. guajava cobalt oxide nanoparticles was evaluated against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli with a 7 to 18 mm inhibitory zone. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated using green synthesized P. guajava cobalt oxide nanoparticles and observed 79% of dye degradation. The MTT assay of P. guajava cobalt oxide nanoparticles showed an excellent cytotoxic effect against MCF 7 and HCT 116 cells compared to normal cells. The percentage of cell viability of P. guajava cobalt oxide nanoparticles was observed as 90, 83, 77, 68, 61, 58 and 52% for MCF-7 cells and 82, 70, 63, 51, 43, 40, and 37% for HCT 116 cells at the concentration of 1.53, 3.06, 6.12, 12.24, 24.48, 50, and 100 μg/mL compared to control cells. These results confirmed that green synthesized P. guajava cobalt oxide nanoparticles have a potential photocatalytic and anti-bacterial activity and also reduced cell viability against MCF-7 breast cancer and HCT 116 colorectal cancer cells.     

Exogenous Application of Green Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) to Improve the Germination,Physiochemical, and Yield Parameters of Wheat Plants under Salinity Stress

Agriculture is the backbone of every developing country. Among various crops, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) belongs to the family Poaceae and is the most important staple food crop of various countries. Different biotic (viruses, bacteria and fungi) and abiotic stresses (water logging, drought and salinity) adversely affect the qualitative and quantitative attributes of wheat. Among these stresses, salinity stress is a very important limiting factor affecting the morphological, physiological, biochemical attributes and grain yield of wheat. This research work was carried out to evaluate the influence of phytosynthesized TiO₂ NPs on the germination, physiochemical, and yield attributes of wheat varieties in response to salinity. TiO₂ NPs were synthesized using TiO₂ salt and a Buddleja asiatica plant extract as a reducing and capping agent. Various concentrations of TiO₂ nanoparticles (20, 40, 60 and 80 mg/L) and salt solutions (NaCl) (100 and 150 mM) were used. A total of 20 mg/L and 40 mg/L improve germination attributes, osmotic and water potential, carotenoid, total phenolic, and flavonoid content, soluble sugar and proteins, proline and amino acid content, superoxide dismutase activity, and reduce malondialdhehyde (MDA) content at both levels of salinity. These two concentrations also improved the yield attributes of wheat varieties at both salinity levels. The best results were observed at 40 mg/L of TiO₂ NPs at both salinity levels. However, the highest concentrations (60 and 80 mg/L) of TiO₂ NPs showed negative effects on germination, physiochemical and yield characteristics and causes stress in both wheat varieties under control irrigation conditions and salinity stress. Therefore, in conclusion, the findings of this research are that the foliar application of TiO₂ NPs can help to improve tolerance against salinity stress in plants.     

Line broadening studies in low energy plasma focus

Optical emission spectroscopic studies were carried out to characterise the plasma leading to the estimation of two plasma parameters, electron density and temperature. These experiments were conducted on a 2 kJ plasma device which is equipped with squirrel cage electrode configuration enclosed in a glass vacuum chamber filled with hydrogen at a pressure of 5 mbar. Spectral emissions obtained from each flash were photographed in the region of 4000–6000 Å using one metre Czerny-Turner spectrograph cum monochromator. Detailed examination of the observed features showed that theH _β andH _λ lines of hydrogen showed significant broadening of the order of 35 Å FWHM which is due to Stark effect expected in high density plasmas. Further several atomic lines of Cu and Zn from the electrode material (brass) showed broadening which was due to quadratic Stark effect. A comparative study of the broadening of lines obtained in DC arc, hollow cathode and plasma focus was made. Electron density from Stark broadened hydrogen lines and quadratic Stark Coefficient C₄ for the CuI and ZnI lines were evaluated. The excitation temperature was determined from the line intensity ratio method using CuI lines.     

Calotropis gigantea fibers: A potential reinforcement for polymer matrices

Natural fibers are identified as one of the effective alternatives for reinforcing the polymer matrices on account of their sustainability and renewable characteristics by replacing the synthetic fibers. This study is intended to apprehend the properties of the fibers derived from the stem of Calotropis gigantea plant. The functional groups of biopolymers were recognized by Fourier transform infrared spectrum. The crystalline nature of the cellulose that represents the mechanical strength and integrity of the fibers was found from the X-ray diffraction, whereas the thermal behavior was studied by thermogravimetric analysis. Scanning electron microscope was used to study the morphology of the fibers. The results of these analytical studies have shown that the crystallinity index of the fibers was 56.08% and the fibers were able to withstand a temperature of about 220°C proving that the fibers can be used as effective reinforcements for polymer matrices similar to the commonly used bio-fibers.     

Novel Biotreatment Process for Glycol Waters

Propylene oxide (PO), propylene glycol (PG), and polyols are produced from propylene via propylene chlorohydrin. Effluents from these plants contain biological oxygen demand/chemical oxygen demand (BOD/COD) loads besides high chloride concentrations. The high salinity poses severe problem to adopt conventional methods like activated sludge processes. Presently, a simple, economically viable and versatile microbiological process has been developed to get more than 90% biodegradation in terms of BOD/COD, utilizing specially developedPseudomonas andAerobacter. The process can tolerate high salinity up to 10 wt% NaCl or 5 wt% CaCl₂ and can withstand wide variations in_pH (5.5–11.0) and temperature (15–45°C). The biodegradation of glycols involves two steps. The enzymatic conversion of glycols to carboxylic and hydroxycarboxylic acids is aided byPseudo- omonas. Further degradation to CO₂ and H₂O by carboxylic acid utilizingAerobacter, and possible metabolic degradative pathway of glycols are discussed. Various process parameters obtained in the lab scale (50 L bioreactor) and pilot scale (20 m³ bioreactor), and unique features of our process are also discussed.     

Free-radical-mediated oxidation of ascorbic acid by peroxomonosulphate

The kinetics of the oxidation of ascorbic acid (AH₂) by peroxomonosulphate (PMS) were determined in aqueous medium in acidic (pH 4.4), neutral (pH 7.0) and alkaline (pH 9.0) conditions over the temperature range 13-28°C. The reactions were found to obey total second-order kinetics, first-order each with respect to peroxomonosulphate and ascorbic acid concentration, obeying-d[AH₂]/dt = k ₂[PMS][AH₂]. Dehydroascorbic acid was detected as the product of the reaction. The stoichiometry of the reaction, [peroxomonosulphate]/[ascorbicacid] = 1 : 1, indicated the absence of self-decomposition of peroxomonosulphate. The influence of neutral salt (NaClO₄) was found to increase the reaction rate. Evidence for the formation of radical intermediates was obtained. A mechanism involving the formation of hydroxyl, sulphate and ascorbate free radicals as intermediates is proposed. The rate and activation parameters were evaluated to substantiate the mechanism proposed. A comparison is made with the corresponding reactions of the similar peroxides, S₂O₈ ^2- and P₂O₈ ^4-.