A comparative study of ruthenium(III) catalysed oxidation of L-leucine and L-isoleucine by alkaline permanganate. A kinetic and mechanistic approach

The kinetics of the Ru^III-catalysed oxidation of L-leucine and L-isoleucine by alkaline permanganate were studied and compared, spectrophotometrically using a rapid kinetic accessory. The reaction is first order with respect to [oxidant] and [catalyst] with an apparently less than unit order in [substrate] and [alkali] respectively. The results suggest the formation of a complex between the amino acid and the hydroxylated species of ruthenium(III). The complex reacts further with the alkaline permanganate species in a rate-determining step, resulting in the formation of a free radical, which again reacts with the alkaline permanganate species in a subsequent fast step to yield the products. The reaction constants involved in the mechanism were calculated. There is a good agreement between observed and calculated rate constants under different experimental conditions. The activation parameters with respect to the slow step of the mechanism for both the amino acids were calculated and discussed. Of the two amino acids, leucine is oxidised at a faster rate than isoleucine.     

Raman active jagged-shaped gold-coated magnetic particles as a novel multimodal nanoprobe

The creation of novel engineered multimodal nanoparticles (NPs) is a key focus in bionanotechnology and can lead to deep understanding of biological processes at the molecular level. Here, we present a multi-component system made of gold-coupled core-shell SPIONs, as a new nanoprobe with signal enhancement in surface Raman spectroscopy, due to its jagged-shaped gold shell coating.     

Coupled nonlinear size-dependent behaviour of microbeams

The nonlinear resonant behaviour of a microbeam, subject to a distributed harmonic excitation force, is investigated numerically taking into account the longitudinal as well as the transverse displacement. Hamilton’s principle is employed to derive the coupled longitudinal-transverse nonlinear partial differential equations of motion based on the modified couple stress theory. The discretized form of the equations of motion is obtained by applying the Galerkin technique. The pseudo-arclength continuation technique is then employed to solve the discretized equations of motion numerically. Different types of bifurcations as well as the stability of solution branches are determined. The numerical results are presented in the form of frequency-response and force-response curves for different sets of parameters. The effect of taking into account the longitudinal displacement is highlighted.     

Nonlinear resonant behavior of microbeams over the buckled state

The present study investigates the nonlinear resonant behavior of a microbeam over its buckled (non-trivial) configuration. The system is assumed to be subjected to an axial load along with a distributed transverse harmonic load. The axial load is increased leading the system to lose the stability via a pitchfork bifurcation; the postbuckling configuration is obtained and the nonlinear resonant response of the system over the buckled state is examined. More specifically, the nonlinear equation of motion is obtained employing Hamilton’s principle along with the modified couple stress theory. The continuous system is truncated into a system with finite degrees of freedom; the Galerkin scheme is employed to discretize the nonlinear partial differential equation of motion into a set of ordinary differential equations. This set of equations is solved numerically employing the pseudo-arclength continuation technique; first a nonlinear static analysis is performed upon this set of equations so as to obtain the onset of buckling (supercritical pitchfork bifurcation) and the buckled configuration of the microbeam. The frequency-response and force-response curves of the system are then constructed over the buckled configurations. A comparison is made between the frequency-response curves obtained by means of the modified couple stress and the classical theories. The effect of different system parameters on the frequency-response and force-response curves is also examined.     

First principles versus artificial neural network modelling of a solar desalination system with experimental validation

ABSTRACT

The present study mainly focuses on enhancing the performance of solar still unit using solar energy through cylindrical parabolic collector and solar panels. A 300 W solar panel is used to heat saline water by thermal elements outside the solar still unit. Solar panels are cooled during the hot hours of the day; thus, reducing their temperature may lead to an increase in solar panel efficiency followed by an increase in the efficiency of the solar still unit. The maximum amount of freshwater used in the experiment was 2.132 kg/day. The experiments were modelled using ANNs. Based on neural network simulation results, there is a significant correlation between experimental data and neural network modelling. This paper compares experimental data with data obtained from mathematical modelling and ANNs. As a conclusion, the artificial neural network prediction has been more accurate than the simplified first principles model presented.     

Bilayer Cylindrical Conduit Consisting of Electrospun Polycaprolactone Nanofibers and DSC Cross‐Linked Sodium Alginate Hydrogel to Bridge Peripheral Nerve Gaps

Herein, a bilayer cylindrical conduit (P‐CA) is presented consisting of electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers and sodium alginate hydrogel covalently cross‐linked with N,N′‐disuccinimidyl carbonate (DSC). The bilayer P‐CA conduit is developed by combining the electrospinning and outer–inner layer methods. Using DSC, as a covalent crosslinker, increases the degradation time of the sodium alginate hydrogel up to 2 months. The swelling ratio of the hydrogel is also 503% during the first 8 h. The DSC cross‐linked sodium alginate in the inner layer of the conduit promotes the adhesion and proliferation of nerve cells, while the electrospun PCL nanofibers in the outer layer provide maximum tensile strength of the conduit during surgery. P‐CA conduit promotes the migration of Schwann cells along the axon in a rat model based on functional and histological evidences. In conclusion, P‐CA conduit will be a promising construct for repairing sciatic nerves in a rat model.     

A hybrid EDC/Flamelet approach for modelling biomass combustion of grate-firing furnace

This paper proposes a new combustion model for the simulation of biomass combustion. It is developed based on the framework of the well-known Eddy Dissipation Concept (EDC) approach, which has the ability to incorporate chemical kinetics in turbulent reacting flows and thus makes it suitable for modelling gas-phase combustion. However, its high computational cost when using detailed chemistry has made it impractical for modelling large/industrial setups. To address this handicap, the proposed approach decouples the real-time calculation of chemical and mixing processes by importing a pre-calculated steady laminar flamelet library into EDC. The development of this new model is performed based on a modified version of EDC (called Extended EDC), which is capable of modelling the gas-phase of biomass combustion over a wide range of turbulent flow conditions. The proposed model is validated by simulating the well-documented experiment of the piloted jet flames of Barlow and Frank. The performance of the model is then evaluated by simulating a small-scale grate firing biomass furnace. The results show that, overall, the proposed model can be used to model biomass combustion at substantially low computational cost.     

Bending and vibration analyses of coupled axially functionally graded tapered beams

The nonlinear bending and vibrations of tapered beams made of axially functionally graded (AFG) material are analysed numerically. For a clamped–clamped boundary conditions, Hamilton’s principle is employed so as to balance the potential and kinetic energies, the virtual work done by the damping, and that done by external distributed load. The nonlinear strain–displacement relations are employed to address the geometric nonlinearities originating from large deflections and induced nonlinear tension. Exponential distributions along the length are assumed for the mass density, moduli of elasticity, Poisson’s ratio, and cross-sectional area of the AFG tapered beam; the non-uniform mechanical properties and geometry of the beam along the length make the system asymmetric with respect to the axial coordinate. This non-uniform continuous system is discretised via the Galerkin modal decomposition approach, taking into account a large number of symmetric and asymmetric modes. The linear results are compared and validated with the published results in the literature. The nonlinear results are computed for both static and dynamic cases. The effect of different tapered ratios as well as the gradient index is investigated; the numerical results highlight the importance of employing a high-dimensional discretised model in the analysis of AFG tapered beams.