Numerical analysis of interaction between non-gray radiation and forced convection flow over a recess using the full-spectrum k-distribution method

In the present work, the interaction between non-gray radiation and forced convection in a laminar radiating gas flow over a recess including two backward and forward facing steps in a duct is investigated numerically. Distributions of absorption coefficients across the spectrum (50 cm^?1 < η < 20,000 cm^?1) are obtained from the HITRAN2008 database. The full-spectrum k-distribution method is used to account for non-gray radiation properties, while the gray radiation calculations are carried out using the Planck mean absorption coefficient. To find the divergence of radiative heat flux distribution, the radiative transfer equation is solved by the discrete ordinates method. The effects of radiation–conduction parameter, wall emissivity, scattering coefficient and recess length on heat transfer behaviors of the convection–radiation system are investigated for both gray and non-gray mediums. In addition, the results of gray medium are compared with non-gray results in order to judge if the differences between these two approaches are significant enough to justify the usage of non-gray models. Results show that for air mixture with 10 % CO₂ and 20 % H₂O, use of gray model for the radiative properties may cause significant errors and should be avoided.     

Stable-isotope dilution GC-MS method for ethanol in vapour ethanol and microdialysis systems based on carbonate-catalyzed extractive pentafluorobenzoylation

Common ethanol detection methods are not applicable to cell culture media and microdialysates due to interference with medium constituents including amino acids and pH indicators. We present a novel GC-MS method for the accurate and precise analysis of ethanol in cell cultures and microdialysates. The method is based on the carbonate-catalyzed extractive pentafluorobenzoylation of ethanol and deuterium-labelled ethanol serving as the internal standard and on their GC-MS analysis in the electron-capture negative-ion chemical ionization mode. The method was used to optimize experimental conditions in a custom-made ethanol vapour system utilized for studies examining ethanol influences on neuronal cell lines and in microdialysis.     

Challenges in the indirect quantitation of acyl‐glucuronide metabolites of a cardiovascular drug from complex biological mixtures in the absence of reference standards

This paper describes the quantitation of acyl‐glucuronide metabolites (M26 and M5) of a cardiovascular‐drug (torcetrapib) from monkey urine, in the absence of their reference standards. LC/MS/MS assays for M1 and M4 (aglycones of M26 and M5, respectively) were characterized from normal and base‐treated urine, as their respective reference standards were available. The in vivo study samples containing M26 and M5 were treated with 1 n sodium hydroxide to hydrolyze them to their respective aglycones. The study samples were assayed for M1 and M4 before and after alkaline hydrolysis and the difference in the concentrations provided an estimate of the urinary levels of M26 and M5. Prior to the main sample analysis, conditions for alkaline hydrolysis of the glucuronides were optimized by incubating pooled study samples. During incubations, a prolonged increase in M4 levels over time was observed, which is inconsistent with the base‐hydrolysis of an acyl‐glucuronide (expected to hydrolyze rapidly). Possible interference of the metabolite M9 (an ether‐glucuronide metabolite isobaric to M4) was investigated to explain this observation using chromatographic and wet‐chemistry approaches. The strategies adopted herein established that the LC/MS/MS assay and our approach were reliable. The metabolite exposure was then correlated to toxicological observations to gain initial insights into the physiological role of these metabolites. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The sensitive capillary electrophoretic‐LIF method for simultaneous determination of curcuminoids in turmeric by enhancing fluorescence intensities of molecules upon inclusion into (2‐hydroxypropyl)‐β‐cyclodextrin

Curcuminoids have received great attention in the past decades due to their health benefit properties. The aim of this study is to develop a very simple, rapid, and sensitive capillary zone electrophoresis technique coupled with a laser induced fluorescence detector (LIF) for the simultaneous determination of three major curcuminoids of turmeric, namely, curcumin, demethoxy curcumin (DMC), and bisdemethoxy curcumin (BDMC). Background electrolyte was selected as borate at pH 9.6 and (2‐hydroxypropyl)‐β‐cyclodextrin (2‐HP‐β‐CD) was added to prevent rapid alkali degradation of curcuminoids in buffer and to increase fluorescence intensities of molecules. With the addition of 2‐HP‐β‐CD to the separation electrolyte, the fluorescence signal intensities of curcuminoids were enhanced considerably by 30, 40, and 54 fold for curcumin, DMC, and BDMC, respectively. The three curcuminoids of turmeric were fully separated and quantified in less than 4.5 min. The repeatability of the peak areas of curcuminoids for intra‐day and inter‐day experiments was in the satisfactory range of 2.26 and 2.55%, respectively. The LOD and LOQ values for the developed method were equal to or less than 0.081 and 0.270 μg/mL, respectively, for all curcuminoids. The developed method was successfully applied to find curcuminoids amount in turmeric samples and herbal supplements.     

Theoretical analysis of porous radiant burners under 2-D radiation field using discrete ordinates method

This paper describes a theoretical study to investigate the heat transfer characteristics of porous radiant burners (PRBs). In the present work, a 2-D rectangular model is used to solve the governing equations for porous medium and gas flow before the premixed flame to the exhaust gas. The gas and the solid phases are considered in non-local thermal equilibrium and combustion in the porous medium is modeled by considering a non-uniform heat generation zone. The homogeneous porous media, in addition to its convective heat exchange with the gas, may absorb, emit and scatter thermal radiation. The radiation effect in the gas flow is neglected but the conductive heat transfer is taken into account. In order to analyze the thermal characteristics of porous burners, the coupled energy equations for the gas and porous medium in steady condition are solved numerically and the discrete ordinates method (DOM) is used to obtain the distribution of radiative heat flux in the porous media. Finally, the effects of various parameters on the performance of porous radiant burners are examined. The present results are compared with some reported theoretical and experimental results by other investigators and good agreement is found.     

Dehydration of 1,4-dioxane by pervaporation using filled and crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol membrane

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) membrane, was modified both physically and chemically by incorporation of inorganic filler, sodium aluminosilicate and chemical crosslinking with maleic acid and glutaraldehyde. The change of morphology and crystallinity of PVOH by this physical and chemical modification was studied by FTIR, DSC, TGA, SEM and XRD. These membranes were evaluated in terms of its potential for dehydration of dioxane by preferential sorption and permeation using pervaporation (PV) technique. These membranes were cast in the laboratory by solution casting from the polymer and other additives. The performance of the unfilled (containing no filler) glutaraldehyde (GA) crosslinked PVOH-1 and maleic acid (MA) crosslinked PVOH-2 membranes were compared with filled (containing aluminosilicate filler) but GA crosslinked PVOH-3 and filled but MA crosslinked PVOH-4 membranes. The filled membranes were found to show higher flux and water selectivity. Among all the four used membranes, the MA crosslinked filled PVOH-4 membrane was found to show best results in terms of both water selectivity and flux.     

Nanodiamond Decorated with Silver Nanoparticles as a Sensitive Film Modifier in a Jeweled Electrochemical Sensor: Application to Voltammetric Determination of Thioridazine

Nanodiamond? graphite (NDG) decorated with Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs‐NDG) was prepared and used to construct a novel sensitive sensor for the voltammetric determination of thioridazine (TR). The results indicate a remarkable increase in the oxidation peak currents together with a negative shift in the oxidation peak potentials, in comparison to the bare pyrolytic graphite electrode. Remarkable enhancement in microscopic area of the electrode along with strong adsorption of TR on the surface of the modified electrode resulted in a considerable increase in the peak current of TR. The surface morphology and the nature of the composite film deposited on PGE were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Experimental variables, such as the deposited amount of the modifier suspension, pH of the supporting electrolyte, the accumulation potential and time are optimized by monitoring the CV responses of TR. Under the optimal conditions, the modified electrode showed a wide linear response to the concentration of TR in the range of 0.08–100 µM with a detection limit of 0.01 µM. The prepared modified electrode showed several advantages: simple preparation method, high stability and uniformity in the composite film, high sensitivity, long‐term stability and remarkable voltammetric reproducibility in response to TR. The modified electrode can be successfully applied for accurate determination of trace amounts of TR in pharmaceutical and clinical preparations.     

Interaction Modes and Absolute Affinities of α‐Amino Acids for Mn2+: A Comprehensive Picture

Manganese is involved as a cofactor in the activation of numerous enzymes as well as the oxygen‐evolving complex of photosystem II. Full understanding of the role played by the Mn²⁺ ion requires detailed knowledge of the interaction modes and energies of manganese with its various environments, a knowledge that is far from complete. To bring detailed insight into the local interactions of Mn in metallopeptides and proteins, theoretical studies employing first‐principles quantum mechanical calculations are carried out on [Mn‐amino acid]²⁺ complexes involving all 20 natural α‐amino acids (AAs). Detailed investigation of [Mn‐serine]²⁺_, [Mn‐cysteine]²⁺, [Mn‐phenylalanine]²⁺, [Mn‐tyrosine]²⁺, and [Mn‐tryptophan]²⁺ indicates that with an electron‐rich side chain, the most stable species involves interaction of Mn²⁺ with carbonyl oxygen, amino nitrogen, and an electron‐rich section of the side chain of the AA in its canonical form. This is in sharp contrast with aliphatic side chains for which a salt bridge is formed. For aromatic AAs, complexation to manganese leads to partial oxidation as well as aromaticity reduction. Despite multisite binding, AAs do not generate strong enough ligand fields to switch the metal to a low‐ or even intermediate‐spin ground state. The affinities of Mn²⁺ for all AAs are reported at the B3LYP and CCSD(T) levels of theory, thereby providing the first complete series of affinities for a divalent metal ion. The trends are compared with those of other cations for which affinities of all AAs have been previously obtained.     

Numerical simulation of a three-layer porous heat exchanger considering lattice Boltzmann method simulation of fluid flow

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The present study investigates the thermal characteristics of a proposed porous heat exchanger (PHE). This heat exchanger consists of three sections,...     

Fabrication and characterization of chitosan-gelatin/single-walled carbon nanotubes electrospun composite scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering applications

Cartilage is a connective tissue with a slow healing rate due to lack in blood circulation and slow metabolism. Designing tissue engineering scaffolds modified based on its specific features can assist its natural regeneration process. In this study, the chitosan-gelatin/single-walled carbon nanotubes functionalized by COOH (SWNTs-COOH) nanocomposite scaffolds were fabricated through electrospinning. The effect of each component and different duration of cross-linking were assessed in terms of morphology, porosity, chemical structure, thermal behavior, mechanical properties, wettability, biodegradability, and in vitro cell culture study. Adding SWNTs-COOH decreased fiber diameter, water contact angle and degradation rate while increased tensile strength, hydrophilicity, stability and cell viability, due to their high intrinsic electrical conductivity, and mechanical properties and the presence of COOH functional groups in its structure. All the sample presented a porosity percentage of more than 80%, which is essential for tissue engineering scaffolds. The presence SWNTs-COOH did not have any adverse effect on cytocompatibility. The optimal cross-linking time increased the stability of the scaffolds in PBS. It can be concluded that the chitosan-gelatin/1wt% SWNTs-COOH scaffold can be appropriate for cartilage tissue engineering applications.