Thermal management of modern electric vehicle battery systems (MEVBS)

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The operating temperature of Li-ion batteries used in modern electric vehicles should be maintained within an allowable range to avoid thermal runaway...     

Multiple plasmonic effect on photocurrent generation of metal‐loaded titanium dioxide composite/dye films on gold grating surface

We demonstrate the multiple plasmonic effect on the photocurrent properties of photoanodes containing Ag or Au nanoparticles (NPs) loaded onto titanium dioxide film (Ag–TiO₂ or Au–TiO₂) on Au grating surfaces. Ag–TiO₂ or Au–TiO₂ nanocomposite particles are prepared by a flame spray pyrolysis route. The structures and morphologies of the prepared products are characterized by high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy. The Ag–TiO₂ or Au–TiO₂ composite NPs are deposited by spin coating onto the Au grating surfaces. The photoanode electrode is a layered structure of blu‐ray disc‐recordable grating substrate/Au/Ag (or Au)–TiO₂/dye/electrolyte/indium‐tin oxide. The plasmonic effect is induced when Ag or Au NPs are located within the propagating surface plasmon (SP) field on the Au grating surface. The short‐circuit photocurrent is increased by exciting the grating‐coupled propagating SP on the Au gratings and is further enhanced by positioning the Ag or Au NPs within the grating‐coupled SP field. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phytochemical Analysis,Antioxidant, and Wound Healing Activity of Pluchea indica L. (Less) Branch Extract Nanoparticles

Proliferation and migration of keratinocytes and fibroblasts play an important role in cutaneous wound healing, while oral mucosal squamous cell proliferation and migration are crucial for oral wound healing. In this study, the phytochemical profile of Pluchea indica branch ethanolic extract was characterized. The bioactive compound of Pluchea indica branch ethanolic extract was identified and analyzed by the validated HPLC method. The nanoparticles of P. indica branch extract were formulated by solvent displacement method to increase the solubility and the colloidal stability of the extract. The stability of the nanoparticles was investigated by using the dynamic light scattering technique. Effects of P. indica crude extract and nanoparticles on cell viability, proliferation and migration of primary epidermal keratinocytes, human dermal fibroblasts, and oral mucosal keratinocyte cells were investigated by MTT assay and scratch assay, respectively. The results showed that P. indica branch extract contained a high content of total phenolic and total flavonoids. The HPLC analysis revealed that the main compound in the extract was 4,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid. The cell viability of the extract and nanoparticles decreased when cells were exposed to a high concentration of extract and nanoparticles. These results demonstrate that P. indica branch extract and extract nanoparticles at specific concentrations possess in vitro wound healing activity and they may be possibly used to treat different types of wounds including dermal and oral mucosal wounds.     

Substrate assisted electrochemical deposition of patterned cobalt thin films

The patterned Co layers deposited on the scratched Cu surfaces were investigated with the use of the scanning electron microscopy. Patterned cobalt thin films were electrochemically deposited from the cobalt sulfate bath at room temperature. Pattering of cobalt was carried out by simple means of substrate scratching. Gentle scratching induces a direct pattering of cobalt from vertical to horizontal. The prepared pattered films were characterized for their structural, surface morphological and compositional properties by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the films are of cobalt. From the SEM images fabrication of patterns of cobalt is apparent. This work demonstrates a novel approach for obtaining patterned cobalt for many technological applications.     

On mark sequences in 2-digraphs

A k-digraph is an orientation of a multi-graph that is without loops and contains at most k edges between any pair of distinct vertices. So 1-digraph is an oriented graph, and complete 1-digraph is a tournament. We obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for a sequence of non-negative integers in non-decreasing order to be a sequence of numbers, called marks, attached to vertices of 2-digraph.     

Cytotoxic sesquiterpenes from luminescent mushroom Neonothopanus nambi

Four new aristolane sesquiterpenes named nambinones A–C (1–3) and 1-epi-nambinone B (4), a new sesquiterpene, nambinone D (5), a known compound, aurisin A (6) as well as a new dimeric sesquiterpene, aurisin K (7), were isolated from two isolates of luminescent mushroom, Neonothopanus nambi, PW1 and PW2. These structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. The relative configuration of 6 was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compounds 6 and 7 exhibited antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum and antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Compounds 3, 6, and 7 showed cytotoxicity against NCI-H187 cancer cell lines. In addition, 6 and 7 showed cytotoxicity against the cholangiocarcinoma cell lines.     

Effect of magnetostrictive phase on structural, dielectric and electrical properties of NiFe2O4 + Pb0.93La0.07(Zr0.60Ti0.40)O3 composites

Particulate composites of NiFe₂O₄ (NFO) and Pb_0.93La_0.07 (Zr_0.60Ti_0.40) O₃ (PLZT) were synthesized by solid-state reaction technique. Structure and surface morphological studies were carried out using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques, respectively. Frequency dependent variation of dielectric constant (), loss tangent (tan δ) and ac resistivity for (x) NFO + (1−x) PLZT composites in the range 100 Hz–5 MHz at room temperature were studied. The temperature dependence of dielectric constant (′), loss tangent (tan δ) was studied in wide temperature range of measurement at fixed frequencies. Also DC resistivity measurements were carried out in the temperature range of 300 K–923 K. Structural, dielectric and electrical properties show notable change due to presence of magnetostrictive NFO phase along with PLZT.     

New p-terphenyl and benzoquinone metabolites from the bioluminescent mushroom Neonothopanus nambi

Abstract

Two new p-terphenyls, neonambiterphenyls A and B (1–2), a new benzoquinone, neonambiquinone A (3), together with six known sesquiterpenes (4–9), were isolated from the bioluminescent mushroom Neonothopanus nambi PW3. The isolated compounds were identified by mass, IR and spectroscopic analyses (1D and 2D NMR). Compounds 1–3 and 5–7 showed cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines such as KB, NCI-H187 and MCF-7 with IC₅₀ values ranging from 1.45 to 49.31?µg/mL. In addition, compounds 1 and 5 showed cytotoxicity against Vero cells with IC₅₀ values of 38.72 and 32.90?µg/mL, respectively.     

The British Put Option

Abstract

We present a new put option where the holder enjoys the early exercise feature of American options whereupon his payoff (deliverable immediately) is the ‘best prediction’ of the European payoff under the hypothesis that the true drift of the stock price equals a contract drift. Inherent in this is a protection feature which is key to the British put option. Should the option holder believe the true drift of the stock price to be unfavourable (based upon the observed price movements) he can substitute the true drift with the contract drift and minimize his losses. The practical implications of this protection feature are most remarkable as not only can the option holder exercise at or above the strike price to a substantial reimbursement of the original option price (covering the ability to sell in a liquid option market completely endogenously) but also when the stock price movements are favourable he will generally receive higher returns at a lesser price. We derive a closed form expression for the arbitrage-free price in terms of the rational exercise boundary and show that the rational exercise boundary itself can be characterized as the unique solution to a nonlinear integral equation. Using these results we perform a financial analysis of the British put option that leads to the conclusions above and shows that with the contract drift properly selected the British put option becomes a very attractive alternative to the classic American put.