New smart carrageenan‐based superabsorbent hydrogel hybrid: Investigation of swelling rate and environmental responsiveness

Synthesis of novel natural‐based superabsorbents with improved properties is of prime importance in many applications. In this article we report an efficient synthesis of new polysaccharide‐based superabsorbent hybrid composing carrageenan, acrylic acid, sodium acrylate, and 2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate through homogenous solution polymerization process. Infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were carried out to confirm the chemical structure of the hydrogel. Moreover, morphology of the samples was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). To deeper studies on the structure‐property relation in SAP hydrogels, three hydrogels with different acrylic acid/2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate (AA/HEA) weight ratios were synthesized and swelling capacity in various media was assessed. The hydrogel hybrid was also tested to be swollen and deswollen alternatively in 0.01 and 0.1 M sodium chloride solution. Moreover, the swelling‐deswelling capability of the hydrogel in alternatively changed methanol‐water mixtures was studied. Additionally, the swelling kinetics of the synthesized hydrogels were examined. The absorbency under load (AUL) of hydrogel was also investigated by using an AUL tester at various applied pressures. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Cr(III)‐containing Fe3O4/mercaptopropanoic acid‐poly(2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate) nanocomposite: Highly active magnetic catalyst for direct hydroxylation of benzene

In this study, polymer‐grafted magnetic nanoparticles containing chromium(III) ions incorporated onto Fe₃O₄/mercaptopropanoic acid‐poly(2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate) was prepared via a simple and in situ method. The obtained magnetic nanocomposite exhibited high catalytic activity and excellent selectivity in direct hydroxylation of benzene in the presence of hydrogen peroxide under solvent‐free condition. The magnetic catalyst could be also separated by an external magnet and reused seven times without any significant loss of activity/selectivity. Due to the Lewis acidity of the Fe³⁺ groups in the structure of magnetic nanoparticles, the high efficiency of this catalyst is possibly due to the synergetic effect of Cr³⁺ and Fe³⁺ groups in the structure of magnetic nanocomposite. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40383.     

Modeling and fuzzy control of the engine coolant conditioning system in an IC engine test bed

Mechanical and thermodynamical performance of internal combustion engines is significantly affected by the engine working temperature. In an engine test bed, the internal combustion engines are tested in different operating conditions using a dynamometer. It is required that the engine temperature be controlled precisely, particularly in transient states. This precise control can be achieved by an engine coolant conditioning system mainly consisting of a heat exchanger, a control valve, and a controller. In this study, constitutive equations of the system are derived first. These differential equations show the second-order nonlinear time-varying dynamics of the system. The model is validated with the experimental data providing satisfactory results. After presenting the dynamic equations of the system, a fuzzy controller is designed based on our prior knowledge of the system. The fuzzy rules and the membership functions are derived by a trial and error and heuristic method. Because of the nonlinear nature of the system the fuzzy rules are set to satisfy the requirements of the temperature control for different operating conditions of the engine. The performance of the fuzzy controller is compared with a PI one for different transient conditions. The results of the simulation show the better performance of the fuzzy controller. The main advantages of the fuzzy controller are the shorter settling time, smaller overshoot, and improved performance especially in the transient states of the system.     

Synthesis and investigation of swelling behavior of new agar based superabsorbent hydrogel as a candidate for agrochemical delivery

In this investigation a new type of superabsorbent hydrogel based on agar was prepared, and the effect of the feed ratio of some components (acrylic acid, MBA, APS and agar) on the swelling capacity of the hydrogel was systematically studied. Maximum water absorbency of the optimized final product was found to be 1,100 g/g in distilled water. The structure of the hydrogel was characterized by FT-IR method and morphology of the samples was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Swelling properties of optimized hydrogel sample in different swelling mediums were investigated. The optimum hydrogel were also loaded with potassium nitrate and its potential for controlled release of potassium was investigated by measuring conductivity in various conditions.     

The Analysis of Optical Brightening Agents in Paper Samples Using Liquid Chromatography with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

There is limited information available on the analysis and characterization of optical brightening agents (OBA) commonly used in the pulp and paper industry. The available literature provides only a few reports on suitable chromatographic methods of analysis of OBA compounds present in paper products. The choice of suitable extraction solvents for OBA is also debatable. Some advocate using organic solvents, whereas others use water. The extracted OBAs are usually characterized by fluorescence spectroscopy or liquid chromatography with UV detection. These methods are not selective and do not yield information on the chemical structures of the compounds. We have characterized OBA compounds by liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry, specifically liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight–mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). Preliminary extraction results show that boiling water is effective for characterizing OBAs from commercial papers. Positive-ion and negative-ion electrospray ionization allowed for observation of straightforward mass spectra for OBA standards and OBA extracts from paper products. The ESI-MS results for the most common OBA in the industry, TOBA (a tetrasulfonated stilbene derivative), gave a prominent m/z value of 1075.1797 in the negative-ion mode and 1077.1941 in the positive-ion mode corresponding to the [M ? 1]^? and [M + 1]⁺ species of tetrasulfonated optical brightening agent in the full acidic form. The LC-MS analysis of OBAs in paper extracts showed that they can exist in both cis and trans forms, an important parameter for proper quantitative analysis of OBAs. Preliminary experiments found that isomerization can actually occur when certain OBAs in solution are exposed to natural light.     

Surface effects on nonlinear vibration of embedded functionally graded nanoplates via higher order shear deformation plate theory

In this paper, free vibration behavior of functionally nanoplate resting on a Pasternak linear elastic foundation is investigated. The study is based on third-order shear deformation plate theory with small scale effects and von Karman nonlinearity, in conjunction with Gurtin–Murdoch surface continuum theory. It is assumed that functionally graded (FG) material distribution varies continuously in the thickness direction as a power law function and the effective material properties are calculated by the use of Mori–Tanaka homogenization scheme. The governing and boundary equations, derived using Hamilton's principle are solved through extending the generalized differential quadrature method. Finally, the effects of power-law distribution, nonlocal parameter, nondimensional thickness, aspect of the plate, and surface parameters on the natural frequencies of FG rectangular nanoplates for different boundary conditions are investigated.     

Preparation of an optimized ciprofloxacin-loaded chitosan nanomicelle with enhanced antibacterial activity

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of lipid structure on physicochemical properties of chitosan-fatty acid nanomicelles and prepare an optimum ciprofloxacin-loaded formulation from these conjugates which could enhance the antibacterial effects of drug against some important pathogens like P. aeruginosa.

Significance: Nowadays, resistance in infectious diseases is a growing worldwide concern. Nanocarriers can increase the therapeutic index and consequently reduce the antibiotic resistance. By site-specific delivery of drug, the adverse effects of broad-spectrum antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin would be reduced.

Methods: Fatty acid grafted chitosan conjugates were synthetized in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide. The effects of fatty acid type (stearic acid, palmitic acid, and linoleic acid) on physicochemical properties of conjugates were investigated. Ciprofloxacin was encapsulated in nanomicelles by thin film hydration method. Also, the preparation process was optimized with a central composite design. The antibacterial effect of optimum formulation against P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, and S. pneumoniae species was determined.

Results: All conjugates were synthetized with high yield values and the substitution degrees ranged between 2.13 and 35.46%. Ciprofloxacin was successfully encapsulated in nanomicelles. The optimum formulation showed high drug loading (≈?19%), with particle size of about 260?nm and a sustained release profile of ciprofloxacin. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin in optimum formulation against P. aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae species were 4 and 2 times lower in comparison with the free drug, respectively.

Conclusions: The antibacterial effect of ciprofloxacin was improved by encapsulation of drug in chitosan nanomicelles.     

Wind turbine integrated structural and LPV control design for improved closed-loop performance

An iterative redesign algorithm is proposed to integrate the design of the structural parameters and a linear parameter-varying (LPV) controller for a three-bladed horizontal-axis wind turbine. The LPV controller is designed for an eighth-order lumped model of the wind turbine consisting of blades, drive-train and the tower. The lumped model response is matched with detailed open-loop numerical simulations using the Fatigue, Aerodynamics, Structures and Turbulence (FAST) code. The controller is scheduled in real-time based on the mean wind speed to account for the varying system dynamics. The objective is to track the operating trajectory meanwhile minimise the H _∞ performance index from the wind turbulence to the controlled output vector consisting of pitch angle, blade tip deflection, and the generator speed and torque. Sensitivity analysis of the closed-loop performance index with respect to the structural parameters of the system is examined. The integrated design problem is formulated as an iterative sequential controller/structure redesign to obtain the structural parameters and controller matrices corresponding to a local optimal performance index. Each step of the iterative procedure is formulated as a linear matrix inequality (LMI) optimisation problem that can be solved efficiently using available LMI solvers. The evolution of the structural parameters and performance index through the integrated design is illustrated. The FAST closed-loop simulations for two selected designs with the smallest values of the performance index demonstrate the improved performance of the overall system through the integrated structure/control redesign in both minimising the effect of the wind disturbance on the generator output power, and reducing the structural loads on the wind turbine.     

Complexity of Finding Graph Roots with?Girth Conditions

Graph G is the square of graph H if two vertices x,y have an edge in G if and only if x,y are of distance at most two in H. Given H it is easy to compute its square H ², however Motwani and Sudan proved that it is NP-complete to determine if a given graph G is the square of some graph H (of girth 3). In this paper we consider the characterization and recognition problems of graphs that are squares of graphs of small girth, i.e. to determine if G=H ² for some graph H of small girth. The main results are the following.

• There is a graph theoretical characterization for graphs that are squares of some graph of girth at least 7. A corollary is that if a graph G has a square root H of girth at least 7 then H is unique up to isomorphism.
• There is a polynomial time algorithm to recognize if G=H ² for some graph H of girth at least 6.
• It is NP-complete to recognize if G=H ² for some graph H of girth 4.

These results almost provide a dichotomy theorem for the complexity of the recognition problem in terms of girth of the square roots. The algorithmic and graph theoretical results generalize previous results on tree square roots, and provide polynomial time algorithms to compute a graph square root of small girth if it exists. Some open questions and conjectures will also be discussed.