Copolymerization of N-Substituted Maleisoimides with Vinyl Acetate

Abstract

N-Substituted maleisoimides have been polymerized [1,2] and copolymerized with readily polymerizable vinylic monomers, such as acrylonitrile and vinyl acetate [3]. However, the homopolymerization or copolymerization of N-substituted maleisoimides is not reported in the literature. Attempts to homopolymerize N-substituted maleisoimides free radically have failed completely 141. During such attempts, however, none of the maleisoimides used suffered isomerization to the corresponding imides. This paper reports the free-radical copolymerization of three N-substituted maleisoimides with vinyl acetate.     

Synthesis of attapulgite-MnO2 nanocomposite from manganese complex by ultrasound for hydrogen storage

The research included the synthesis of a new complex of manganese with 3,4,5-tri-methoxybenzoic acid in the presence of triethylamine as a base to which gives the complex with formula [Mn (TMB)₂].2H₂O. This complex was characterized by FTIR, CHN, magnetic susceptibility and thermal analysis. Furthermore, this complex was used as a novel precursor of manganese in preparing the attapulgite-MnO₂ nanocomposite by one-pot addition method using ultrasound. The resulting nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction and TEM and the results prove that this composite was found as nanochannel of the diameter 45 nm decorated with 26–41 nm of MnO₂ nanoparticles. The attapulgite-MnO₂ nanocomposite was used in the application of hydrogen storage, and the results proved that attapulgite-MnO₂ nanocomposite has the ability to store 3.55 wt% of hydrogen under a pressure of 90 bar and a temperature of 77 K. Furthermore, the measurement demonstrated that increasing the pressure increased the stored hydrogen, implying that the stored gas will be liberated by altering the pressure, implying that the storage will be of the physical kind.     

The pyrolytic behavior of ethylenetetracarboxylic acid

The controlled pyrolysis of ethylenetetracarboxyclic acid at 220°C followed by methylation of the pyrolyzate results in the formation of methyl propiolate as the major product along with lesser amounts of methyl fumarate. Evidence is presented which indicates that the methyl fumarate probably arises from some precursor in the pyrolyzate during the methylation reaction. Extended heating of the tetra acid at its melting point produces, in addition to the substances cited above, ethylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride and dicarboxymaleic anhydride. The high-temperature (300–400°C) pyrolysis of the tetraacid gives l0–20% yields of dimethylmaleic anhydride.     

Broadband 2 × 2 free-space optical switch using electronically controlled liquid lenses

To the best of our knowledge, proposed is the first liquid lens technology-based 2 × 2 free-space optical switch using a pair of Electronically Controlled Variable Focus Lenses (ECVFLs). By independently controlling the focal lengths of two cascaded liquid ECVFLs, the two input optical beams are spatially adjusted to couple to their respective output beam ports. At 633-nm, the experimental switch demonstrates 26.3 dB crosstalk, 23.0 dB within-channel isolation, 1.1 dB optical loss, and 0.2 dB Polarization Dependent Loss (PDL). A 0.2 dB Wavelength Dependent Loss (WDL) is measured over 633-nm and 514-nm wavelengths. A 1 × 2 optical-fiber coupled switch version is also tested. The proposed switch can be useful in free-space laser systems as well as fiber-based modules.     

A numerical study of rotation effects on jets effusing from inclined holes into a cross-flow

In this work, the complexity of the flow field arising from the impact of the interaction of coolant jets with a hot cross-flow under rotation conditions was numerically simulated using large eddy simulation with artificial inflow boundary condition. The finite-volume method and the unsteady PISO (Pressure Implicit with Splitting of Operators) algorithm were applied on a non-uniform staggered grid. The simulations were performed for four different values of rotation number (Ro) of 0.0, 0.03021, 0.06042, and 0.12084, a jet Reynolds number of 4700, based on the hole width and the jet exit velocity. The air jet was injected at 30° and 90° in the streamwise direction with a density ratio of 1.04 and a velocity ratio of 0.5. The flow fields of the present study were compared with experimental data in order to validate the reliability of the LES technique. It was shown that the rotation has a strong impact on the jet trajectory behaviour and the film cooling effectiveness. The film trajectory always inclines centrifugally. Under rotating conditions, the film trajectory departs from the centreline to the left boundary. The deflection becomes greater as Ro increases. Furthermore, it was also found that the injection angle has a strong impact on separation and reattachment behaviour as well as the strength of the penetration into the cross-flow. As it increases, the distribution of the film cooling downstream the jet exit is more non-uniform and the film cooling effectiveness level slightly decreases.     

NEURO FUZZY MODEL FOR PREDICTING THE DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF BEAMS

An adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system （ANFIS） is introduced to predict the dynamic behavior of beams. The effects of axial forces and large displacements are considered in the analysis. A database of tests for the dynamic characteristics of beams is developed from the experimental tests. The responses of nonlinear vibration force for the single and multiple-stepped beams are calculated from the finite element method （FEM）, experimental tests and neuro-fuzzy model for comparison. The neuro-fuzzy model provides a general framework for the combination of neural networks and fuzzy logic. It is more flexible with more options of incorporating the fuzzy nature of the real-world system and is an useful estimation tool for the dynamic characteristics of beams. Therefore, ANFIS can be a useful tool for dynamic behaviour analysis of multiple-stepped beams subjected to axial loads and large displacement.     

Sarcorucinine-D Inhibits Cholinesterases and Calcium Channels: Molecular Dynamics Simulation and In Vitro Mechanistic Investigations

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors and calcium channel blockers are considered effective therapies for Alzheimer’s disease. AChE plays an essential role in the nervous system by catalyzing the hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. In this study, the inhibition of the enzyme AChE by Sarcorucinine-D, a pregnane type steroidal alkaloid, was investigated with experimental enzyme kinetics and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation techniques. Kinetics studies showed that Sarcorucinine-D inhibits two cholinesterases—AChE and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)—noncompetitively, with K_i values of 103.3 and 4.66 µM, respectively. In silico ligand-protein docking and MD simulation studies conducted on AChE predicted that Sarcorucinine-D interacted via hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds with the residues of the active-site gorge of AChE. Sarcorucinine-D was able to relax contractility concentration-dependently in the intestinal smooth muscles of jejunum obtained from rabbits. Not only was the spontaneous spasmogenicity inhibited, but it also suppressed K⁺-mediated spasmogenicity, indicating an effect via the inhibition of voltage-dependent Ca²⁺ channels. Sarcorucinine-D could be considered a potential lead molecule based on its properties as a noncompetitive AChE inhibitor and a Ca²⁺ channel blocker.     

Preparation, structure and spasmolytic activities of some derivatives of harmine series of alkaloids

Keeping in view the interesting chemistry and pharmacological importance of harmine series of bases -- the beta-carboline alkaloids, a number of new derivatives of tetrahydroharmine and harmalol have been prepared and characterized through spectral studies. Some of these derivatives showed spasmolytic activity. It was observed that all the N-acyl tetrahydroharmine derivatives are stable, not labile and no ring opening occurs in these compounds, as reported recently.     

An Efficient and Accurate Multi-Sensor IF Estimator Based on DOA Information and Order of Fractional Fourier Transform

Instantaneous frequency in multi-sensor recordings is an important parameter for estimation of direction of arrival estimation, source separation, and sparse reconstruction. The instantaneous frequency estimation problem becomes challenging when signal components have close or overlapping signatures and the number of sensors is less than the number of sources. In this study, we develop a computationally efficient method that exploits the direction of the IF curve in addition to the angle of arrival as additional features for the accurate tracking of IF curves. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme achieves better accuracy compared to the-state-of-art method in terms of mean square error (MSE) with a slight increase in the computational cost, i.e., the proposed method achieves MSE of −50 dB at the signal to noise ratio of 0 dB whereas the existing method achieves the MSE of −38 dB.