Measurement of the amount and rate of methane dissolution in pure water and aqueous solution of SDS + multi-wall carbon nanotubes + β-cyclodextrin

In this paper, the impact of the mixture of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) + multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) + β-cyclodextrin on the quantity and initial rate of methane dissolved in water is investigated. The experiments were performed at a temperature range of 278.15–303.15 K and an initial pressure of 0.5 MPa. The experimental results show that simultaneous utilization of β-cyclodextrin (0.01 mass fraction), MWCNTs (0.0005 mass fraction), and SDS (0.001 mass fraction) at 278.15 K increases the amount and the rate of methane dissolution in water by 29.90% and 173.78%, respectively, compared to pure water. An increase in the temperature decreases the quantity and the initial rate of methane dissolution in all solutions containing additives. However, no consistent relationship is observed between the temperature and the enhancement percentage of solubility of methane in solutions containing additives.     

Partially decomposed PVP as a surface modification of ZnO,CdO, ZnS and CdS nanostructures for enhanced stability and catalytic activity towards sulphamethoxazole degradation

In order to prepare stable and efficient photocatalysts, a microwave-furnace-assisted method using ethylene glycol (EG) as a solvent has been employed to obtain metal oxides and metal sulphides nanocatalysts with partial decomposition of the polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) cap (P-ZnO, P-CdO, P-ZnS and P-CdS); this associates the protective functionality of PVP with enhanced catalytic activity due to effective carriers transfer. The as-produced catalysts characterization revealed an extended growth of metal oxides compared with metal sulphides, which is attributed to the competition of EG as the source of oxygen with PVP to capsulate metal oxides during the synthesis. Infrared spectra confirmed the PVP–metal complexation and partial decomposition of the polymer. Metal sulphides exhibited a better catalytic activity compared with metal oxides for sulphamethoxazole degradation in UVC light owing to their size and morphology impact; further, P-CdS induced 71% antibiotic degradation after 10 h of illumination with visible light compared with only 48% for P-ZnS, 29% for P-ZdO and 20% for P-CdO due to improved light absorption. Interestingly, around 86% degradation was induced by mixing P-CdS with P-ZnS in 80:20% ratio, indicating an enhanced visible light activity due to improved electron–hole pair separation and high redox potential of P-ZnS.     

Zeolite filled polyimide membranes for dehydration of isopropanol through pervaporation process

Six mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were prepared using zeolites of 4A and ZSM-5 incorporated in polyimide of Matrimid 5218. Effects of filler type on membrane morphology and pervaporation performance of MMMs were investigated using isopropanol dehydration. In addition, effects of operating temperature (30, 40, 50, and 60 °C), feed water concentration (10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.%) and permeate side pressure (0 and 15 torr) on pervaporation performance were studied. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed there were good adhesion between the fillers and the polymer matrix. Zeolite 4A has a better contact with the polymer phase and thereby nearly no void is formed in the MMM structure. Pervaporation were performed based on L16 array of Taguchi method for design of experiments. The results showed that the best separation condition is achieved at temperature, feed water concentration, and permeate pressure of 30 °C, 10 wt.% water and 0 torr, respectively. Selectivities of zeolites 4A and ZSM-5 filled MMMs were calculated as 8991 and 3904 compared with 1276 measured for the neat Matrimid 5218 membrane. Permeation rates of the zeolite 4A and ZSM-5 filled MMMs and the neat polymeric membrane were found to be 0.018, 0.016, and 0.013 kg/m² h, respectively.     

Improved physical stability of docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid encapsulated using nanoliposome containing α‐tocopherol

This study aimed to develop a nanoliposomal formulation containing α‐tocopherol loaded with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and to characterise the formulation by its physical stability. For this purpose, different nanoliposomal formulations with dipalmitoyl phosphocholine were prepared using a modified thin‐film hydration method and evaluated by particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and determining the encapsulation efficiencies of DHA and EPA. A physical stability study was conducted by investigating the change in the vesicle encapsulation efficiency, particle size, PDI and shape when stored at 4, 30 and 40 °C for 3 months. High encapsulation efficiency of DHA and EPA (89.1% ± 0.6% and 81.9% ± 1.4%) and appropriate particle size (82 ± 0.8 nm) were obtained for liposomes composed of α‐tocopherol. The optimum formulation was stable for 90 days when kept at 4 °C. This study demonstrated that α‐tocopherol had a protective effect on the physical stability of the nanoliposomes containing DHA and EPA.     

A local view on the Hudetz correction of the Yager entropy of dynamical systems

In this paper, we define a local version of Hudetz correction for the Yager entropy of dynamical systems. It is proved that the introduced function is indeed a local entropy map for the Hudetz correction of the Yager entropy, in the sense that, the Hudetz correction of the Yager entropy of a continuous map on a compact metric space is attained by integrating the introduced local entropy.     

A latency-aware task scheduling algorithm for allocating virtual machines in a cost-effective and time-sensitive fog-cloud architecture

The Journal of Supercomputing - Recently, with the expansion of communications and generated data, the need for processing this high volume of data in minimum time and maximum speed has increased....     

Conductive multichannel PCL/gelatin conduit with tunable mechanical and structural properties for peripheral nerve regeneration

Peripheral nerve injuries remain among the most challenging medical issues despite numerous efforts to devise methods in fabrication of nerve conduits to functionally regenerate axonal defects. In this regard, the current study offers a holistic perspective in design by considering the mechanical, topographical and structural aspects which are crucial for a successful nerve guide conduit. Poly(e-caprolactone) and gelatin were employed to serve this purpose in the form of dual-electrospun films which were rolled and later shaped the assembly of a multichannel conduit. Polyaniline/graphene (PAG) nanocomposite was incorporated to endow the conduit with conductive properties. FTIR analysis, water contact angle measurements, and SEM observations as well as mechanical and conductivity tests were used to evaluate the properties of the conduits. In addition, MTT assay was conducted to assess the proliferation of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells cultured on the films. Incorporating 2% PAG proved to have superior cell support and proliferation, while guaranteeing electrical conductivity of 10.8 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm and remarkable tensile strength of 3.52 ± 1.3 MPa and 14.12 ± 3.1 MPa for wet and dry conditions, respectively. Overall, the observed results highlight the great potential of the fabricated conduit to be used as a candidate for peripheral nerve defects.     

Ultrasound-promoted one-pot four-component synthesis of novel biologically active 3-aryl-2,4-dithioxo-1,3,5-triazepane-6,7-dione and their toxicity investigation

We have described a novel four-component reaction (4MCR) between oxalyl chloride 1, anilines 2a–h, and two molecules of ammonium thiocyanate 3 in acetone under ultrasound irradiation to give 3-aryl-2,4-dithioxo-1,3,5-triazepane-6,7-diones. A synthetically useful ultrasound effect was observed and title products were obtained in high yields after 15–35?min sonication. Our procedure compared to the conventional heating method has the benefit of higher reaction yields and shorter reaction times. The IR spectra showed the presence of N–H, C═O and C═S groups in these compounds and ¹H, ¹³C NMR and Mass spectral results verified their structures. Cellular investigations showed that these compounds are toxic toward cancer cells.     

Influence of Methanol on Prion Reduction during High Temperature and High Pressure Oleochemical Processes

Prion‐reduction in standard biodiesel processes is caused by acidic and alkaline conditions. In the alternative RepCat biodiesel process, efficient prion‐reduction can be achieved by high‐temperature/pressure. However, a possible increase in thermostability of prions in the presence of methanol during these conditions has not previously been investigated, and is verified in this work. Samples are spiked with prions, treated with methanol, and incubated at 220 °C at 80 bar for 30 min. No traces of protease‐resistant prion protein (as proxy for prions) are detected in tallow or glycerine (as the final by‐product) after treatment. Serial dilutions of spiked prions show at least 6 log₁₀ prion reduction. More importantly, similar effects are detected using milder conditions of 200 °C at 70 bar for 15 min, representing the worst‐case conditions of the process. In conclusion, this study shows that methanol does not increase the thermostability of prions and the RepCat process can efficiently eliminate prions and is therefore safe for the usage of category 1 tallow. Practical Applications: The study further supports the applicability of RepCat process in reducing prion‐contamination in the presence of methanol. Furthermore, the conditions leads to a considerable reduction of prions in glycerine obtained as by‐product.     

Fabricating Janus membranes via physicochemical selective chemical vapor deposition

Membranes with asymmetric wettability-Janus membranes-have recently received considerable attention for a variety of critical applications. Here, we report on a simple approach to introduce asymmetric wettability into hydrophilic porous domains. Our approach is based on the physicochemical-selective deposition of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on hydrophilic polymeric substrates. To achieve selective deposition of PTFE, we inhibit the polymerization reaction within the porous domain. We prefill the substrates with glycerol, containing a known amount of free radical inhibitor, and utilize initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) for the polymerization of PTFE. We show that the glycerol/inhibitor mixture hinders the deposition of PTFE within the membrane pores. As a result, the surface of the substrates remains open and porous. The fabricated Janus membranes show stable wetting-resistant properties, evaluated through sessile drop contact angle measurements and direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD).