ISSUE INFORMATION

Modeling social‐ecological systems is difficult due to the complexity of ecosystems and of individual and collective human behavior. Key components of the social‐ecological system are often over‐simplified or omitted. Generalized modeling is a dynamical systems approach that can overcome some of these challenges. It can rigorously analyze qualitative system dynamics such as regime shifts despite incomplete knowledge of the model's constituent processes. Here, we review generalized modeling and use a recent study on the Baltic Sea cod fishery's boom and collapse to demonstrate its application to modeling the dynamics of empirical social‐ecological systems. These empirical applications demand new methods of analysis suited to larger, more complicated generalized models. Generalized modeling is a promising tool for rapidly developing mathematically rigorous, process‐based understanding of a social‐ecological system's dynamics despite limited knowledge of the system.     

Influence of the addition of aluminium nanoparticles on thermo-rheological properties of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene-based composite propellant and empirical modelling

The heat transfer performance and entropy analysis are done in a compact loop heat pipe (CLHP) with Al₂O₃/water and Ag/water nanofluid. A compact loop heat pipe having a flat square evaporator with dimensions of 34 mm (L)?×?34 mm (W)?×?19 mm (H) has been fabricated and tested for the heat load ranging from 30 to 500 W. The experimental tests are conducted by keeping the CLHP in the vertical orientation with distilled water, silver (Ag)/water and aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃)/water nanofluid having low volume concentrations of (0.09% and 0.12%). The effect of wall and vapour temperature, evaporator and condenser heat transfer coefficient, thermal resistance on the applied heat loads is experimentally investigated and compared. The experimental results showed that the evaporator thermal resistance is reduced by 34.70% and 20.21%, respectively, for 0.12 vol% of Ag, Al₂O₃ nanoparticles when compared with that of the distilled water. For the same volume concentrations of Ag, Al₂O₃ nanoparticles, an enhancement of 34.52%, 23.7%, 39.27% and 30.8%, respectively, observed for the convective heat transfer coefficients at the evaporator and condenser. The entropy is also reduced by 19.08% and 11.58% when Ag and Al₂O₃ nanofluids are used as the operating fluid. From the experimental tests, it is found that the addition of small amount of Ag nanoparticles in the working fluid enhanced the operating range by 15% when compared with that of Al₂O₃/water nanofluid without the occurrence of any dry-out conditions.

     

Tm:Ho co-doped single mode optical fibre laser pumped by a 1600 nm Er fibre laser

An all-fibre Tm:Ho laser system is reported, using a 1600 nm Er fibre pump laser and 0.3 m length of the fibre through a two-stage optimization of both the pump source and laser configuration to achieve a low threshold operation. As a result a low threshold power of 33 mW and a slope efficiency of 0.6% have been achieved, in laser operation at a wavelength of 1870 nm and a cross-comparison with 785 nm laser diode pumping has been made.     

Development of multi-wavelength microsphere fibre laser system for potential sensor applications

A multi-wavelength microsphere laser system, using a chirped fibre Bragg grating and a microsphere resonator as wavelength-selective elements and a high dopant erbium doped fibre as the gain material, has been successfully demonstrated. The multi-wavelength generation of the laser system arises from both the microsphere whispering gallery mode selection and from the additional Raman scattering inside the microsphere cavity when the erbium laser is operating at resonance with the whispering gallery modes. Through an appropriate design and fabrication of a microsphere and of a fibre taper, a selective multi-wavelength fibre laser has been realized when the pump power is above threshold required. The laser output lines created have shown much narrower linewidths than those from conventional fibre lasers and these characteristics are particularly suitable for the range of sensor applications envisaged in the work.     

Transition metal-catalyzed CH functionalization of arylacetic acids for the synthesis of benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides

Copper-catalyzed practical route for the synthesis of benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides has been developed. The method involves CH functionalization of arylacetic acids to form aromatic aldehydes and their subsequent condensation with 2-aminobenzenesulfonamide. This functional group tolerant approach furnished benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxide derivatives in good to excellent yields. Broad substrate scope, inexpensive catalyst and high product yields are notable features of this protocol.     

Finite sampling interval effects in Kramers-Moyal analysis

Large sampling intervals can affect reconstruction of Kramers-Moyal coefficients from data. A new method, which is direct, non-stochastic and exact up to numerical accuracy, is developed to estimate these finite time effects. The method is applied numerically to biologically inspired examples. Exact finite time effects are also described analytically for two special cases. The approach developed will permit better evaluation of Langevin or Fokker-Planck based models from data with large sampling intervals. It can also be used to predict the sampling intervals for which finite time effects become significant.     

Highly adequate oxidative esterification of α-carbonyl aldehydes with alkyl halides in TBAI/TBHP mediated system

An efficient and viable synthesis of α-ketoesters from alkyl halides and α-carbonyl aldehydes has been reported under metal-free conditions. The present method involves oxidative esterification of α-carbonyl aldehydes with alkyl halide using TBAI as a promoter and TBHP as an oxidant to form α-ketoesters in good to excellent yields with versatile structural diversity. Use of commercially accessible and inexpensive substrates, broad substrate scope and good functional group tolerance are the key features of this protocol.     

Systematic Optimization of Thin-Layer Chromatography for Wound-Induced Differential Secondary Metabolites in Passiflora foetida

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC -     

Non-coaxiality of strain increment and stress directions in cross-anisotropic sand

An experimental program was carried out in a recently developed torsion shear apparatus to study the non-coaxiality of strain increment and stress directions in cross-anisotropic deposits of Fine Nevada sand. Forty-four drained torsion shear tests were performed at constant mean confining stress, σ_m, constant intermediate principal stress ratios, as indicated by b = (σ₂ − σ₃)/(σ₁ − σ₃), and constant principal stress directions, α. The experiments were performed on large hollow cylinder specimens deposited by dry pluviation and tested in an automated torsion shear apparatus. The specimens had height of 40 cm, and average diameter of 20 cm, and wall thickness of 2 cm. The stress–strain behavior of Fine Nevada sand is presented for discrete combinations of constant principal stress direction, α, and intermediate principal stress. The effects of these two variables on the non-coaxiality are presented. The experiments show that the directions of the strain increments do not in general coincide with the directions of stresses, and there is a switch from one to the other side between the two quantities.     

Synthesis of new 1,2,4-triazole[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazoles bearing pyrazole as potent antimicrobial agents

A new series of 6-(aryl/heteryl)-3-(5-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-4-pyrazolyl)[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazoles (7a-j) has been synthesized by the reaction of 4-amino-5-(5-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-4-pyrazolyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl-hydrosulfide (6) with POCl(3) and the corresponding aryl/heteryl carboxylic acid, in ethanol at reflux temperature for 12 h. All the synthesized compounds were tested for in vitro activities against certain strains of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and fungi such as Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus nodulans, Alternaria alternate. Compounds having 4-chlorophenyl (7d), 4-aminophenyl (7f), 4-nitrophenyl (7h) and 3-pyridyl (7i) substituents at 6-position of thiadiazole ring, showed marked inhibition of bacterial and fungal growth nearly equal to the standards. The other new compounds also showed appreciable activity against the test bacteria and fungi.