A co-catalyst free,eco-friendly,novel visible light absorbing iron based complex oxide nanocomposites for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

This study exposes enhanced hydrogen evolution capability of Mg doped Calcium ferrite nanocomposite without any co-catalysts under natural sunlight irradiation. Structural studies of this chemically (sol-gel) synthesised nanocomposite revealed the co-existence of two or three complex oxide ferrites along with iron oxide phases. Optical studies confirmed its narrower bandgap suitable for visible light absorbance. Elemental analysis shows the presence and oxidation state of elements in all undoped and doped calcium ferrite photocatalysts. Hydrogen evolution rate of undoped and Mg doped Calcium ferrite calcined at three different temperatures is discussed. It was found that doping of Mg in calcium ferrite resulted in 19.6 times higher hydrogen evolution ratethan undoped calcium ferritedue to the co-operative assistance of each individual phase present in the nanocomposite.     

Applications of Data-driven Models for Daily Discharge Estimation Based on Different Input Combinations

Water Resources Management - Accurate and reliable discharge estimation is considered vital in managing water resources, agriculture, industry, and flood management on the basin scale. In this...     

Catalytic gasification of coal using eutectic salts: reaction kinetics with binary and ternary eutectic catalysts

Kinetic studies of the catalytic steam gasification of Illinois No. 6 coal were carried out using binary and ternary eutectic salt mixtures in a fixed-bed reactor. The effects of major process variables such as temperature, pressure, catalyst loading and steam flow rate were evaluated for the binary 29% Na₂CO₃-71% K₂CO₃ and ternary 43.5% Li₂CO₃-31.5% Na₂CO₃-25% K₂CO₃ eutectic catalyst systems. A Langmuir-Hinshelwood rate expression was developed to explain the reaction mechanism for steam gasification using the binary and ternary catalysts. The activation energy of the ternary catalyst (98 kJ/mol) was less than that of the binary catalyst (201 kJ/mol) or single salt such as K₂CO₃ (170 kJ/mol). The molar heats of adsorption for the ternary and binary catalysts were exothermic and about 180 and 92 kJ/mol, respectively. The molten nature of the ternary eutectic at the gasification temperatures and its lower activation energy favored higher gasification rates compared to the single and binary alkali metal salts.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Polyaspartimides Containing Anisyl Moiety

New class of aromatic bismaleimides containing anisyl group were synthesized from bis(4-amino 3,5-dimethyl phenyl) anisyl methane and maleic anhydride via bismaleamic acid as an intermediate followed by cyclodehydration to bismaleimides. The structure was confirmed by FTIR, ¹H-NMR and elemental analysis. Further, a series of polyaspartimides were synthesized by addition reaction of bismaleimide (BMDA) with various diamines. The polymers were characterized by IR and elemental analysis. The polymers exhibit good solubility in organic solvents such as NMP, DMF and DMSO. They exhibit good thermal stability. T _g of polyaspartimides are in the range of 125–278°C and T _10% weight loss are in the range of 398–476°C.     

Dye-sensitized solar cell based on optically transparent TiO2 nanocrystalline electrode prepared by atomized spray pyrolysis technique

Preparation of crack-free thin films of interconnected and non-agglomerated TiO₂ nanoparticles on electronically conducting fluorine doped tin oxide surfaces is instrumental in designing and developing transparent dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). A novel technique called “Atomized Spray Pyrolysis” (ASP) has been designed and developed to achieve such perfectly transparent thin films. Optical transmittance of TiO₂ films produced on FTO surface by this ASP method has been compared with those obtained by doctor-blading and by hand spray methods and found that the atomized spray pyrolysis technique give films with high transparency. Dye adsorption per gram of TiO₂ is 2.16 times higher in the sample produced by the ASP method when compared to the film produced by the hand spray method and is 1.60 times higher than that produced by the doctor-blading method using a commercially available TiO₂ nanocrystalline paste. SEM studies show the presence of interconnected discrete particles in the film produced by the ASP method. The fill factor (ff) remains almost constant for the cells with thickness from 6 μm to 13 μm but the highest photovoltage and photocurrent were found in ∼10 μm film based DSC which gave 8.2% conversion efficiency at AM 1.5 irradiation for cells of 0.25 cm² active area.     

Candida glabrata is unusual with respect to its resistance to cationic antifungal proteins

Naturally occurring salivary antifungal proteins have been of major interest, due to their potential to provide the basis for peptide antimycotics effective in combating fungal infections in the oral cavity or elsewhere. We tested the fungistatic activity of a number of cationic antifungal proteins, with major emphasis on histatin 5, a basic protein secreted by the human parotid and submandibular glands. Histatin 5 inhibited the growth of Candida albicans and that of other medically important Candida species, such as C. kefyr, C. krusei, and C. parapsilosis, with IC50 values in the range of 10-20 microg/ml. Two Cryptococcus neoformans strains were also sensitive (IC50 5.2 and 5.6 microg/ml). On the other hand, three C. glabrata strains (ATCC 90030, 2001 and 64677) were entirely insensitive to histatin 5 (IC50>225 microg/ml). Four genetically very similar species to C. glabrata, Candida castelli (CBS 4332), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S288C, BY4741 and CBS 1171), Kluyveromyces delphensis (CBS 2170) and Kluyveromyces bacillisporus (CBS 7720) were all sensitive to histatin 5 (IC50 2.6-64.6 microg/ml). C. glabrata was also insensitive to other members of the histatin family; histatin 1, 3 and P-113 (IC50 values in all cases >225 microg/ml). In addition, two entirely different cationic antifungal proteins originating from frog skin, PGLa and magainin 2, also showed a strong reduced activity toward this fungus. Besides the well-described inherent resistance of C. glabrata to azole-derived antifungal agents, our studies indicate that this species is also able to withstand the otherwise detrimental activities of cationic antifungal proteins.     

Exploring pathways to food science careers in Southern California: A case study in food science career development

Southern California is a diverse region that is home to a high concentration of food science companies, with an increasing demand for additional food scientists and technologists to join this workforce. Despite this abundance of food science companies and the high demand for jobs, there is currently a shortage in the number of qualified food scientists and technologists in the region. This shortage is also observed within higher education, with declining enrollments in the food science graduate and undergraduate programs across Southern California. Here, we conduct a case study to explore the factors that influence students from Southern California to pursue or not pursue careers in food science. We surveyed both undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in food science as well as industry professionals in the region to determine sources of knowledge about the discipline, and motivations and barriers for pursuing careers in food science. We also surveyed high school educators in the region to gain additional perspectives on how food science is being introduced at the secondary level, if at all. Our results demonstrate that many students and high school educators are not knowledgeable about career options within food science and that students who are pursuing food science largely report similar motivations for pursuing the discipline as those currently working in the food science industry. We conclude by discussing implications for the food science education community within Southern California and beyond.     

Methylmethacrylate polymerization photoinitiated by 1‐(bromoacetyl)pyrene

The photopolymerization of methylmethacrylate induced by pyrene, 1‐acetylpyrene (AP), and 1‐(bromoacetyl)pyrene (BP) has been investigated. Under all conditions employed, pyrene was completely ineffective. Introduction of a carbonyl and a bromo group in pyrene enhanced the polymerization efficiencies. Efficiency of AP as photoinitiator was very low; however, BP was proved to be a good photoinitiator. The polymerization with BP follows first‐order kinetics with respect to monomer conversion, with a shorter induction period as compared with that of AP. The value of the initiator exponent (0.5) and the linear dependence of reciprocal average degree of polymerization on the square root of the initiator concentration suggest radical polymerization with bimolecular termination. IR and NMR spectra showed the atactic nature of polymethylmethacrylate. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 920–926, 2006     

Effect of Chemical Composition on Texture Using Response Surface Methodology

This study explores the effect of annealing temperature and chemical composition on crystallographic texture evolution of commercially pure aluminium alloy sheets using response surface methodology (RSM). The orientation of the crystal structure in Euler space using Bunge notation has been studied to know the behavior of the metal and estimate its volume fraction. The experimental procedure involves texture analysis with respect to annealing temperature and chemical composition in correlation with the results of formability and use of RSM. The effect of important input parameters, namely, annealing temperature and chemical composition (impurities) was used for predicting the numerical models using the volume fraction of texture output from the crystallographic study using Design Expert 8.0.7.1, trial software. Also this study explains the effect of individual chemical components, namely, iron, silicon, and copper in evolution of texture components. The volume fraction of Cube {1 0 0} 〈0 0 1〉, Bs {1 1 0} 〈1 1 2〉, and S {1 2 3} 〈6 3 4〉 components increase, whenever iron and copper content increase and silicon component decreases.