Effects of pyrolysis temperatures on the textural,magnetic, morphology,and catalytic properties of supported nickel nanoparticles

The development of base metal catalysts for industrially important reactions continues to be an important goal of catalysis research. Herein, the effects of pyrolysis temperature on the textural, structural, surface, magnetics properties and catalytic properties of silica-supported nickel nanoparticles (NiNPs) were thoroughly investigated. Mono-dispersed NiNPs encapsulated in graphitic shells were first successfully obtained and were characterized using a variety of methods such as BET surface area measurement, CO-pulse chemisorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurement. The findings showed that all catalysts’ properties were considerably altered with change in pyrolysis temperature. Hydrogenation of diphenylacetylene was then selected as the model reaction for the evaluation of the catalytic performance of the graphitic-shelled NiNPs. After testing, pyrolysis of a nickel at 800 °C (catalyst A) displayed tremendous activity and selectivity to produce >94% of stilbene with selectivities of 99% for the Z-isomer.     

Prescriptive analytics for FIFA World Cup lodging capacity planning

The FIFA World Cup, comprising sixty-four matches spanning an entire month, has, in recent years, been attended by about three million spectators of which over half a million are visitors requiring lodging. Planning lodging capacity for an event of this magnitude is necessary for host nations where pre-existing infrastructures are either inadequate or lacking. This paper develops an optimization analytics framework that sequentially employs two integer programming models for foreign spectator analysis and the consequent lodging requirements. The framework is applied to assess the preparedness of lodging infrastructure in Qatar for FIFA 2022.     

Characterization of ion irradiated silicon surfaces ablated by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Low energy metallic ions,generated by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser(1064-nm wavelength,10-mJ energy,9-nm～12-ns-pulse width,10~(11)W/cm~2intensity)irradiated on a silicon substrate to modify various properties,such as electrical,morphological,and structural modifications.Thomson parabola technique is used to calculate the energy of these metallic ions whereas the electrical conductivity is calculated with the help of Four-point probe.Interestingly circular tracks forming chain like damage trails are produced via these energetic ions which are carefully examined by optical microscopy.It is observed that excitation,ionization,and cascade collisions are responsible for surface modifications of irradiated samples.Four-point probe analysis revealed that the electrical conductivity of substrate has reduced with increasing trend of atomic number of irradiated metallic ions(Al,Ti,Cu,and Au).The x-ray diffraction analysis elucidated the crystallographic changes leading to reduction of grain size of N-type silicon substrate,which is also associated with the metallic ions used.The decreasing trend of conductivity and grain size is due to thermal stresses,scattering effect,structural imperfections,and non-uniform conduction of energy absorbed by substrate atoms after the ion irradiation.     

Green synthesis and characterizations of Nickel oxide nanoparticles using leaf extract of Rhamnus virgata and their potential biological applications

In the present report, Nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiONPs) were synthesized using Rhamnus virgata (Roxb.) (Family: Rhamnaceae) as a potential stabilizing, reducing and chelating agent. The formation, morphology, structure and other physicochemical properties of resulting NiONPs were characterized by Ultra violet spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared analysis (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy‐dispersive‐spectroscopy (EDS), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Detailed in vitro biological activities revealed significant therapeutic potential for NiONPs. The antimicrobial efficacy of biogenic NiONPs was demonstrated against five different gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains. Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC: 125 μg/mL) were found to be the least susceptible and Bacillus subtilis (MIC: 31.25 μg/mL) was found to be the most susceptible strain to NiONPs. Biogenic NiONPs were reported to be highly potent against HepG2 cells (IC₅₀: 29.68 μg/ml). Moderate antileishmanial activity against Leishmania tropica (KMH₂₃) promastigotes (IC₅₀: 10.62 μg/ml) and amastigotes (IC₅₀: 27.58 μg/ml) cultures are reported. The cytotoxic activity was studied using brine shrimps and their IC₅₀ value was recorded as 43.73 μg/ml. For toxicological assessment, NiONPs were found compatible towards human RBCs (IC₅₀: > 200 μg/ml) and macrophages (IC₅₀: > 200 μg/ml), deeming particles safe for various applications in nanomedicines. Moderate antioxidant activities: total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (51.43%), 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) activity (70.36%) and total reducing power (TRP) (45%) are reported for NiONPs. In addition, protein kinase and alpha amylase inhibition assays were also performed. Our results concluded that Rhamnus virgata synthesized NiONPs could find important biomedical applications with low cytotoxicity to normal cells.     

Spectroscopic and morphological study of laser ablated Titanium

The optical characteristics of biological tissues sampled from the anterior abdominal wall of laboratory rats are for the first time experimentally studied in a wide wavelength range (350-2500 nm). The experiments have been performed in vitro using a LAMBDA 950 (PerkinElmer, United States) spectrophotometer. Inverse Monte Carlo simulation is used to restore the spectral dependences for scattering and absorption coefficients, as well as the scattering anisotropy factor for biological tissue based on the recorded spectra of diffuse reflection and total and collimated transmissions.     

Distress among disaster-affected populations: delay in relief provision

Central to humanitarian logistics is the minimization of distress among impacted populations in the aftermath of a disaster. In this paper, we characterize two levels of distress, termed criticality and destitution, with respect to the delay provision of relief items. Delay in provision of a relief item will lead to destitution for a tolerable number of days, beyond which it will lead to criticality. We develop a mixed-integer goal program that quantifies these two metrics with respect to the number of days without provision of each of a set of relief items. The model determines the allocation of resources and the distribution of available relief items in a manner that minimizes criticality and destitution in affected population segments. The use of the model is demonstrated for the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake in Istanbul, expected to occur by 2030.     

Studies on the Interaction of Some Biologically Significant Radical Scavengers on Metal‐Ion Catalyzed Phloroglucinol‐Based Chemical Oscillator

The response of the Ce(III)‐catalyzed phloroglucinol (1,3,5‐trihydroxybenzene)‐based Belousov Zhabotinsky system to the addition of various antioxidants (ascorbic acid, glutathione, inosine, N‐acetylcysteine) is monitored at 30°C under stirred batch conditions. This method is convenient and has good sensitivity for the determination of these antioxidants. The addition of these antioxidants to the BZ mixture influences the oscillatory parameter (number of oscillations) to an extent that depends on the concentration of the antioxidant. The experimental results have shown that the number of oscillations decrease on increasing the concentration of antioxidant. The calibration plots show a linear relationship (R² = 0.98 for ascorbic acid and glutathione and R² = 0.99 for inosine and N‐acetylcysteine) between the number of oscillations and the [antioxidant] over the concentration range of 0.0125‐0.5, 0.05‐0.2, 0.025‐0.1, and 0.1‐0.5 mol L^?1 with detection limits 6.9 × 10^?5, 2.762 × 10^?4, 1.381 × 10^?4, and 5.524 × 10^?4 mol L^?1 for ascorbic acid, glutathione, inosine, and N‐acetylcysteine, respectively. Some aspects of the mechanism of these antioxidants on the BZ system have been discussed.