Antibacterial Effects of Flavonoids and Their Structure-Activity Relationship Study: A Comparative Interpretation

According to the latest report released by the World Health Organization, bacterial resistance to well-known and widely available antibacterial drugs has become a significant and severe global health concern and a grim challenge to tackle in order to cure infections associated with multidrug-resistant pathogenic microorganisms efficiently. Consequently, various strategies have been orchestrated to cure the severe complications related to multidrug-resistant bacteria effectively. Some approaches involved the retardation of biofilm formation and multidrug-resistance pumps in bacteria as well as the discovery of new antimicrobial agents demonstrating different mechanisms of action. In this regard, natural products namely alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, anthraquinone, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, etc., have been suggested to tackle the multidrug-resistant bacterial strains owing to their versatile pharmacological effects. Amongst these, flavonoids, also known as polyphenolic compounds, have been widely evaluated for their antibacterial property due to their tendency to retard the growth of a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms, including multidrug-resistant bacteria. The hydroxylation of C5, C7, C3′, and C4′; and geranylation or prenylation at C6 have been extensively studied to increase bacterial inhibition of flavonoids. On the other hand, methoxylation at C3′ and C5 has been reported to decrease flavonoids’ antibacterial action. Hence, the latest information on the antibacterial activity of flavonoids is summarized in this review, with particular attention to the structure–activity relationship of this broad class of natural compounds to discover safe and potent antibacterial agents as natural products.     

Stagnation-point flow past a shrinking sheet in a nanofluid

In this paper, the stagnation-point flow and heat transfer towards a shrinking sheet in a nanofluid is considered. The nonlinear system of coupled partial differential equations was transformed and reduced to a nonlinear system of coupled ordinary differential equations, which was solved numerically using the shooting method. Numerical results were obtained for the skin friction coefficient, the local Nusselt number as well as the velocity and temperature profiles for some values of the governing parameters, namely the nanoparticle volume fraction φ, the shrinking parameter λand the Prandtl number Pr. Three different types of nanoparticles are considered, namely Cu, Al₂O₃ and TiO₂. It was found that nanoparticles of low thermal conductivity, TiO₂, have better enhancement on heat transfer compared to nanoparticles Al₂O₃ and Cu. For a particular nanoparticle, increasing the volume fraction φ results in an increase of the skin friction coefficient and the heat transfer rate at the surface. It is also found that solutions do not exist for larger shrinking rates and dual solutions exist when λ < −1.0.     

MHD mixed convection flow near the stagnation-point on a vertical permeable surface

The steady magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) mixed convection boundary layer flow of a viscous and electrically conducting fluid near the stagnation-point on a vertical permeable surface is investigated in this study. The velocity of the external flow and the temperature of the plate surface are assumed to vary linearly with the distance from the stagnation-point. The governing partial differential equations are first transformed into ordinary differential equations, before being solved numerically by a finite-difference method. The features of the flow and heat transfer characteristics for different values of the governing parameters are analyzed and discussed. Both assisting and opposing flows are considered. It is found that dual solutions exist for both cases, and the range of the mixed convection parameter for which the solution exists increases with suction.     

Biopolymer electrolytes based on carboxymethyl ҡ-carrageenan and imidazolium ionic liquid

Novel biopolymer electrolytes based on carboxymethyl kappa-carrageenan (CM?-carrageenan) and ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl) have been successfully developed. Strong coordination and hydrogen bonding interaction of [Bmim]Cl with the biopolymer were detected by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The efficient function of [Bmim]Cl as the charge carrier in the system was reflected by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) where the highest ionic conductivity (σ) of (5.76 ± 0.20) × 10^?3 S cm^?1 was achieved at ambient temperature (298 K) upon 30 wt.% of [Bmim]Cl inclusion. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that the addition of ionic liquid did not alter the prominent amorphous phase of CM?-carrageenan. Analysis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) proved the strong interaction of [Bmim]Cl with the biopolymer matrix. The highest conducting biopolymer electrolyte showed an electrochemical stability up to 3.0 V, whereas the transference number measurement revealed that ions are the major elements that contribute to the conductivity with 0.970 ion transference number.     

Stagnation point flow of a micropolar fluid towards a stretching sheet

The steady two-dimensional stagnation point flow of an incompressible micropolar fluid over a stretching sheet when the sheet is stretched in its own plane with a velocity proportional to the distance from the stagnation point, has been studied in this paper. The resulting equations of non-linear ordinary coupled differential equations are solved numerically using the Keller-box method. The results obtained for velocity, microrotation and skin friction are shown in tables and graphs. Comparison with the recent results of Mahapatra and Gupta {Heat Mass Transfer 38 (2002) 517} for the corresponding problem of a viscous fluid (K=0) has been done and it has been shown that the results are in excellent agreement.     

MHD boundary-layer flow of a micropolar fluid past a wedge with constant wall heat flux

The steady laminar magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) boundary-layer flow past a wedge with constant surface heat flux immersed in an incompressible micropolar fluid in the presence of a variable magnetic field is investigated in this paper. The governing partial differential equations are transformed into a system of ordinary differential equations using similarity variables, and then they are solved numerically by means of an implicit finite-difference scheme known as the Keller-box method. Numerical results show that micropolar fluids display drag reduction and consequently reduce the heat transfer rate at the surface, compared to the Newtonian fluids. The opposite trends are observed for the effects of the magnetic field on the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics.     

Synthesis and characterization of ZnO thin films by thermal evaporation

ZnO thin films have been successfully synthesized by thermal evaporation of pure zinc at 900 °C under the flow of different percentages of argon and oxygen gases. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), variable pressure scanning electron microscopy (VPSEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and UV–vis spectroscopy. The aim of this paper is to study the influence of the oxygen percentage on the structural and morphological properties of the ZnO films. VPSEM results show that very thick needle structures were produced at high oxygen percentages. EDS results revealed that only Zn and O are present in the sample, indicating a composition of pure ZnO. XRD results showed that the ZnO synthesized under different quantities of oxygen were crystalline with the hexagonal wurtzite structure. UV–vis spectroscopy results indicated that the optical band gap energies from the transmission spectrum are between 3.62 and 3.69 eV for ZnO thin films.     

Flow and heat transfer characteristics on a moving flat plate in a parallel stream with constant surface heat flux

This paper considers the extended classical Blasius and Sakiadis equations, by considering a uniform free stream parallel to a fixed or moving flat plate, which has more practical significance. It is assumed that the plate is subjected to a constant heat flux, and moves in the same or opposite direction to the free stream. The resulting system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is solved numerically using a finite-difference method. Numerical results are obtained for the skin friction coefficient and the local Nusselt number as well as the velocity and temperature profiles for some values of the governing parameters, namely the velocity ratio parameter and the Prandtl number. The results indicate that dual solutions exist when the plate and the free stream move in the opposite directions.     

Falkner-Skan equation for flow past a moving wedge with suction or injection

The characteristics of steady two-dimensional laminar boundary layer flow of a viscous and incompressible fluid past a moving wedge with suction or injection are theoretically investigated. The transformed boundary layer equations are solved numerically using an implicit finite-difference scheme known as the Keller-box method. The effects of Falkner-Skan power-law parameter (m), suction/injection parameter (f0) and the ratio of free stream velocity to boundary velocity parameter (λ) are discussed in detail. The numerical results for velocity distribution and skin friction coefficient are given for several values of these parameters. Comparisons with the existing results obtained by other researchers under certain conditions are made. The critical values off ₀,m and λ are obtained numerically and their significance on the skin friction and velocity profiles is discussed. The numerical evidence would seem to indicate the onset of reverse flow as it has been found by Riley and Weidman in 1989 for the Falkner-Skan equation for flow past an impermeable stretching boundary.