Bound-exciton emission bands in ZnSe single crystals and mixed plasmon-phonon modes

The paper reports a cathodoluminescence study of ZnSe single crystals annealed in a Bi melt at 1200 K for 120 h. It is found that the distance between the phonon structure satellites in the bound-exciton series I ₁ ^s -nLO and I ₁ ^d -nLO and the relative satellite intensity are different in samples with different conduction electron concentrations. It is shown that this difference is due to the mixing of the plasmon and phonon modes. The shape of the bound-exciton emission spectrum in ZnSe crystals in the 450–470 nm region is calculated, and a satisfactory agreement with the experiment calculations is obtained.     

On new iterative method for solving systems of nonlinear equations

Solving systems of nonlinear equations is a relatively complicated problem for which a number of different approaches have been proposed. In this paper, we employ the Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM) to derive a family of iterative methods for solving systems of nonlinear algebraic equations. Our approach yields second and third order iterative methods which are more efficient than their classical counterparts such as Newton’s, Chebychev’s and Halley’s methods.     

Solutions of the SIR models of epidemics using HAM

In this paper, we investigate the accuracy of the Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM) for solving the problem of the spread of a non-fatal disease in a population. The advantage of this method is that it provides a direct scheme for solving the problem, i.e., without the need for linearization, perturbation, massive computation and any transformation. Mathematical modeling of the problem leads to a system of nonlinear ODEs. MATLAB 7 is used to carry out the computations. Graphical results are presented and discussed quantitatively to illustrate the solution.     

Analytical Expressions for the Mixed-Order Kinetics Parameters of TL Glow Peaks Based on the two Heating Rates Method

The two heating rates method (originally developed for first-order glow peaks) was used for the first time to evaluate the activation energy (E) from glow peaks obeying mixed-order (MO) kinetics. The derived expression for E has an insignificant additional term (on the scale of a few meV) when compared with the first-order case. Hence, the original expression for E using the two heating rates method can be used with excellent accuracy in the case of MO glow peaks. In addition, we derived a simple analytical expression for the MO parameter. The present procedure has the advantage that the MO parameter can now be evaluated using analytical expression instead of using the graphical representation between the geometrical factor and the MO parameter as given by the existing peak shape methods. The applicability of the derived expressions for real samples was demonstrated for the glow curve of Li₂B₄O₇:Mn single crystal. The obtained parameters compare very well with those obtained by glow curve fitting and with the available published data.     

Impedance study of polymethyl methacrylate composites/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PMMA/MWCNTs)

The dielectric behavior of polymethyl methacrylate/multi-walled carbon nanocomposites (PMMA/MWCNTs) was investigated using impedance spectroscopy technique. The composites were prepared using melt mixing with MWCNTs loading ranging from 0.01 to 10 wt%. The experimental results showed that the measured impedance reflects the insulating behavior of the host material (PMMA) with no appreciable effects of the filler less than 8.5 wt%. However, for the sample containing 10 wt%, the calculated value of dc conductivity increases with increasing temperature from 2.0×10⁻⁶ (Ω m)⁻¹ to attain a value of 4.8×10⁻⁶ (Ω m)⁻¹ at 110 °C. The percolation threshold derived from the dielectric data was estimated to be higher than 8.5 wt% and lower than 10 wt%. A temperature dependent electrical relaxation phenomenon was only observed in the sample containing 10 wt% of MWCNTs. The frequency dependence of the ac conductivity data followed a power law.     

Assessment of Immune Response and Efficacy of Essential Oils Application on Controlling Necrotic Enteritis Induced by Clostridium perfringens in Broiler Chickens

Necrotic enteritis (NE) caused by Clostridium perfringens is one of the most important enteric diseases in poultry. The antibacterial activity of two different essential oil (EO) blends against C. perfringens was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, the immunological response to EO treatment was assessed. In the in vitro study, the antibacterial activity of EO formulas and commonly used antibiotics was evaluated against C. perfringens using disk diffusion assay, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay, and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assay. In the in vivo study, NE experimental infection was performed on 440 Ross broiler chicks at 19 days of age for 4 continuous days. The chicks were treated with either EOs or amoxicillin at 22 days of age for 5 continuous days. One day after the end of treatment, the birds’ performance was evaluated by calculating the feed conversion ratio. Serum samples from 120 birds were collected to measure the levels of IL-1β, IFN-γ, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-17. After that, all birds were slaughtered, and their small intestines were subjected to gross and histopathological evaluation. In addition, bacterial counts in the small intestines were evaluated. In the in vitro study, EOs showed higher antimicrobial activities in comparison with antibiotics against C. perfringens. In the in vivo study, birds treated with EOs showed a significant decrease in bacterial counts, a significant decrease in intestinal lesions, and a significant improvement in performance compared with untreated birds (p < 0.05). Moreover, treating birds with EOs directed the immune system toward an anti-inflammatory pathway. None of the treated birds died due to NE compared with the 10% mortality rate in untreated birds. In conclusion, EOs might be an effective and safe alternative to antibiotics in the treatment of chicken NE.     

Applications of a simplified bilinear method to ion-acoustic solitary waves in plasma

In this paper, we propose a computational method for nonlinear partial differential equations modeling ion-acoustic waves as well as dusty plasmas in laboratory and space sciences. Many types of solitary waves including soliton solutions, N-soliton solutions and singular N-soliton solutions are derived. The characteristic line method and graphical analysis are applied to discuss the solitonic propagation and collision, including the bidirectional solitons and elastic interactions. Furthermore, the effects of inhomogeneities of media and nonuniformities of boundaries, depicted by the variable coefficients, on the soliton behavior are discussed.     

Toward a New Algorithm for Nonlinear Fractional Differential Equations

This paper is concerned with the development of an efficient algorithm for the analytic solutions of nonlinear fractional differential equations. The proposed algorithm Laplace homotopy analysis method (LHAM) is a combined form of the Laplace transform method with the homotopy analysis method. The biggest advantage the LHAM has over the existing standard analytical techniques is that it overcomes the difficulty arising in calculating complicated terms. Moreover, the solution procedure is easier, more effective and straightforward. Numerical examples are examined to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed algorithm.