Numerical Modeling of Solitons in a Low Birefringent Optical Fiber

A numerical investigation, based on the split-step Fourier transform algorithm of all optical switching of solitons in a low birefringent optical fiber is presented. The numerical algorithm is described in detail. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Exact solutions of solid-liquid phase-change heat transfer when subjected to convective boundary conditions

A closed-form expression is presented to find the location of solid-liquid interface motion in convection-dominated solidification and melting problems. In this regard, the solutions are expressed in terms of the generalized representations of error functions,E (u, v) andF (u, v), which are useful to heat-conduction problems with convective-type boundary conditions. It is demonstrated that for constant surface temperature, the interface solution reduces to the classical Neumann solution.     

Measurement and prediction of solubilities and diffusion coefficients of carbon dioxide in starch–water mixtures at elevated pressures

The solubility and diffusion coefficient of carbon dioxide in intermediate‐moisture starch–water mixtures were determined both experimentally and theoretically at elevated pressures up to 16 MPa at 50 °C. A high‐pressure decay sorption system was assembled to measure the equilibrium CO₂ mass uptake by the starch–water system. The experimentally measured solubilities accounted for the estimated swollen volume by Sanchez–Lacombe equation of state (S‐L EOS) were found to increase almost linearly with pressure, yielding 4.0 g CO₂/g starch–water system at 16 MPa. Moreover, CO₂ solubilities above 5 MPa displayed a solubility increase, which was not contributed by the water fraction in the starch–water mixture. The solubilities, however, showed no dependence on the degree of gelatinization (DG) of starch. The diffusion coefficient of CO₂ was found to increase with concentration of dissolved CO₂, which is pressure‐dependent, and decrease with increasing DG in the range of 50–100%. A free‐volume‐based diffusion model proposed by Areerat was employed to predict the CO₂ diffusivity in terms of pressure, temperature, and the concentration of dissolved CO₂. S‐L EOS was once more used to determine the specific free volume of the mixture system. The predicted diffusion coefficients showed to correlate well with the measured values for all starch–water mixtures. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 607–621, 2006     

Synthesis and antimycobacterial activity of some beta-carboline alkaloids

In view of the attributed medicinal properties of beta-carboline alkaloids, some new O-acyl derivatives of beta-carboline alkaloid--harmol, were prepared and tested for possible antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv.     

Titanium(IV) tungstosilicate and titanium(IV) tungstophosphate: two new inorganic ion exchangers

Crystalline phases of Ti(IV) tungstosilicate and Ti(IV) tungstophosphate have been synthesised. The ion-exchange capacities of Ti(IV) tungstosilicate and Ti(IV) tungstophosphate have been reported as 0.44 and 0.80 mequiv./g, respectively. Both materials show monofunctional ion-exchange characteristic and are stable in 0.1 M solutions of HNO3, HCl, H2SO4 and acetone and benzene. Ti(IV) tungstosilicate is found to be more stable thermally than Ti(IV) tungstophosphate (loss in ion-exchange capacity was found as 58 and 80%, respectively for samples heated at 200 degrees C). The Kd values for heavy metals such as Pb, Hg, Cd, Sb, Co, Zn, Ni, Fe, Cr etc. have been reported in demineralised water and two surfactant media by batch processes. Cr3+, Fe3+ and Sn4+ are totally adsorbed on both the materials in demineralised water while a decrease in Kd value with increase in concentration of two surfactants is reported. On the basis of Kd values for metal ions, thirteen binary separations and five ternary separations on Ti(IV) tungstosilicate and thirteen different binary separations and four different ternary separations on Ti(IV) tungstophosphate have been achieved. Separation of methylamine from ethylamine has been done by GC on a column packed with Ti(IV) tungstophosphate.     

Parametric study of catalytic reforming process?

Summary A parametric study of catalytic reforming process in a pilot plant was carried out by varying the pressure, H₂/HC ratio, and space velocity. The results show that lower aromatics and higher hydrogen yields can be accomplished by increasing the space velocity in existing reformers, which will also result in better C₅⁺yield.     

NMR spectroscopic study of the inclusion complex of desloratadine with β-cyclodextrin in solution

Desloratadine (DES) is an antihistamine used in the treatment of allergies and chronic urticaria. ¹H NMR spectroscopic study of varying ratios of DES and β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD) in D₂O suggests the formation of a 1:1 inclusion complex formed by the penetration of Cl-substituted aromatic ring into the β-CD cavity. The stoichiometry and binding constant of the complex were determined by Scott’s method.