Optical absorption engineering in dispersive band structure of MWCNTs array:design and optimization of total absorber for NIR to MIR regime

In this paper, we design a total infrared (IR) absorber based on a dispersive band structure of two-dimensional (2D) multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) square array working from near IR (NIR) to mid IR (MIR) regime. The absorption characteristics have been investigated by the 2D finite-difference time domain (FDTD) method in square lattice photonic crystal (PC) of the multipole Drude-Lorentz model inserted to the dispersive dielectric function of MWCNTs. Dispersive photonic band structure and scattering parameters for the wide range of lattice constants from 15 nm to 3 500 nm with various filling ratios have been calculated. The results show that for large lattice constant (>2 000 nm), the Bragg gap moves to the IR regime and leads to MWCNTs arrays acting as a total absorber. For a structure with lattice constant of 3 500 nm and filling factor of 12%, an enhanced absorption coefficient up to 99% is achieved in the range of 0.35 eV (λ=3.5 μm) nominated in the MIR regime. Also, the absorption spectrum peak can be tuned in the range of 0.27—0.38 eV (λ=4.59—3.26 μm) with a changing filling factor. Our results and methodology can be used to design new MWCNTs based photonic devices for applications like night-vision, thermal detector, and total IR absorbers.     

A New Strategy for the Aminolysis of Epoxides with Amines Under Solventfree Conditions Using Fe-Mcm-41 as a Novel and Efficient Catalyst

A highly efficient method for the aminolysis of epoxides in the presence of a catalytic amount of Fe-MCM-41 is reported. An important advantage of this catalyst is the ease of separating it from the reaction mixture, as well as the fact that it could be recycled a number of times.     

Detail design,building and commissioning of tall building structural models for experimental shaking table tests

In the areas of seismic engineering, shaking table tests are powerful methods for assessing the seismic capacity of buildings. Since the size and capacity of existing shaking tables are limited, using scale structural models seems to be necessary. In recent years, many experimental studies have been performed using shaking table tests to determine seismic response of structural models subjected to various earthquake records. However, none of the past research works discussed practical procedure for creating the physical model. Therefore, in this study, a comprehensive procedure for design, building and commissioning of scale tall building structural models has been developed and presented for practical applications in shaking table test programmes. To validate the structural model, shaking table tests and numerical time history dynamic analyses were performed under the influence of different scaled earthquake acceleration records. Comparing the numerical predictions and experimental values of maximum lateral displacements, it became apparent that the numerical predictions and laboratory measurements are in a good agreement. As a result, the scale structural model can replicate the behaviour of real tall buildings with acceptable accuracy. It is concluded that the physical model is a valid and qualified model that can be employed for experimental shaking table tests. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A glutamic Acid-producing lactic Acid bacteria isolated from malaysian fermented foods

l-glutamaic acid is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and an important intermediate in metabolism. In the present study, lactic acid bacteria (218) were isolated from six different fermented foods as potent sources of glutamic acid producers. The presumptive bacteria were tested for their ability to synthesize glutamic acid. Out of the 35 strains showing this capability, strain MNZ was determined as the highest glutamic-acid producer. Identification tests including 16S rRNA gene sequencing and sugar assimilation ability identified the strain MNZ as Lactobacillus plantarum. The characteristics of this microorganism related to its glutamic acid-producing ability, growth rate, glucose consumption and pH profile were studied. Results revealed that glutamic acid was formed inside the cell and excreted into the extracellular medium. Glutamic acid production was found to be growth-associated and glucose significantly enhanced glutamic acid production (1.032 mmol/L) compared to other carbon sources. A concentration of 0.7% ammonium nitrate as a nitrogen source effectively enhanced glutamic acid production. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of glutamic acid production by lactic acid bacteria. The results of this study can be further applied for developing functional foods enriched in glutamic acid and subsequently γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) as a bioactive compound.     

Manganese chloride tetrahydrate (CMC-001) enhanced liver MRI: evaluation of efficacy and safety in healthy volunteers

Object

To evaluate the efficacy of three dose levels of the oral hepatobiliary manganese-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent CMC-001, and assess its safety profile and patient acceptability.

Materials and methods

After ethics committee approval, 32 healthy volunteers (males/females: 18/14) were included. Liver MRI was performed before and 3?h after ingestion of 0.8, 0.4, and 0.2?g of CMC-001 on separate occasions. Liver-to-muscle signal intensity (SI) ratio from baseline to post-contrast and image quality was assessed. Adverse drug reactions/adverse events (ADRs/AEs) and clinico-laboratory tests were monitored.

Results

The increase in liver-to-muscle SI ratio was significantly higher after 0.8?g (0.696) compared to 0.4?g (0.458) and 0.2?g (0.223) (in all pair-wise comparisons, P?Conclusion Liver MRI using 0.8?g CMC-001 has the highest efficacy and still acceptable ADRs and should therefore be preferred.     

Preparation of Polydopamine Sulfamic Acid-Functionalized Silica Gel as Heterogeneous and Recyclable Nanocatalyst for Acetylation of Alcohols and Amines Under Solvent-Free Conditions

To fabricate SiO₂/PDA–SO₃H nanocatalyst, a suitable method is designed for the loading of sulfonic acid groups on the surface of polydopamine (PDA)-encapsulated SiO₂ nanoparticles. To bridge the gap between heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis, surface functionalization of silica gel is an elegant procedure. The morphology, structure, and physicochemical features were specified using different analytical techniques including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and back titration. The SiO₂/PDA–SO₃H nanoparticles are efficient nanocatalysts for the acetylation of many alcohols, phenols, and amines with acetic anhydride under solvent-free conditions in good to excellent yields. Moreover, the reuse and recovery of the catalyst was shown seven times without detectible loss in activity.

Graphical Abstract

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The effect of heat pretreatment temperature on fermentative hydrogen production using mixed cultures

The effect of heat treatment at different temperatures on two types of inocula, activated sludge and anaerobically digested sludge, was investigated in batch cultures. Heat treatments were conducted at 65, 80 and 95 °C for 30 min. The untreated inocula produced less amount of hydrogen than the pretreated inocula, with lactic acid as the main metabolite. The maximum yields of 2.3 and 1.6 mol H₂/mol glucose were achieved for the 65 °C pretreated anaerobically digested and activated sludges, respectively. Approximately a 15% decrease in yield was observed with increasing pretreatment temperature from 65 to 95 °C concomitant with an increase in butyrate/acetate ratio from 1.5 to 2.4 for anaerobically digested sludge. The increase of pretreatment temperature of activated sludge to 95 °C suppressed the hydrogen production by lactic acid fermentation. DNA analysis of the microbial community showed that the elevated pretreatment temperatures reduced the species diversity.     

Interprovider IP-MPLS services: requirements, implementations, and challenges

With the worldwide success of IP-MPLS [E. Rosen et al., Jan. 2001] networks deployment, inter-connecting multiple provider IP-MPLS networks for global reachability becomes the next important step. Many providers have implemented MPLS interprovider connections. In this article we first briefly describe the drivers behind the need of interprovider IP-MPLS services, such as layer 3 VPNs [E. Rosen and Y. Rekhter, Oct 2004], pseudowire emulation for transporting layer 2 traffic over IP-MPLS, VoIP, and others. We then discuss the general requirements for the interconnections, from end users' and service providers' perspectives, including security, scalability, manageability, QoS, and end-to-end SLAs. We then address the deployment options and challenges faced by service providers. Specifically, we discuss the following areas of interprovider service implementation: protocol implementation options for L3 VPN and their trade-offs, methods for guaranteeing consistent QoS across providers' boundaries, interprovider traffic engineering approaches, and operation challenges: from business to processes, from troubleshooting/monitoring to SLAs. By identifying the issues and challenges, our ultimate goal is to move toward the development of much needed common practices and procedures to assist in the establishment of interprovider IP-MPLS services.     

Glutamate receptors in the rat medial prefrontal cortex regulate set-shifting ability.

The authors examined set-shifting abilities in rats injected with antagonists of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors (MK801) or alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors (LY293558) into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Set-shifting was assessed with a maze-based task requiring a switch between brightness and texture discrimination strategies. Intra-mPFC injection of MK801 prior to training on the 2nd discrimination impaired discrimination strategy acquisition. The MK801-induced deficit was due to increased perseverative responding. AMPA receptor blockade also impaired acquisition of the 2nd discrimination, these impairments were due to more general cognitive deficits. Results suggest that, within the mPFC, both AMPA and NMDA receptors are necessary for set-shifting, and that NNMA receptor hypofunction impairs the capacity to modify existing knowledge or to inhibit responses that are no longer appropriate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

TasteMiner: Mining partial tastes for neighbor-based collaborative filtering

Neighbor-based collaborative filtering is one of the most practical recommendation approaches that is renowned because of its simplicity and explanation. However, the big limitation is its high computational complexity. It is demonstrated that clustering-based algorithms, that restrict the neighborhood space, speed up the recommendation process at the price of lower accuracy. We propose a new algorithm, called TasteMiner that efficiently learns partial users taste to restrict the neighborhood space. We frame TasteMiner as a method for neighborhood collaborative filtering, and show its effectiveness compared to previous algorithms