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Solid oxide fuel cell is promising conversion technology due to fuel flexibility, higher efficiency, and environment friendly compared to traditional technology. To enhance the efficiency of the device, selection of anode material is important because it affects the electrochemical performance and operating temperature of the cell. In this work, La 0.5 Sr 0.5 Al x Cr 1-x O 3-δ (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) anode has been developed using sol-gel method. XRD analysis exhibited a two-phase structure of the prepared anode, one orthorhombic and second rhombohedral phase with crystalline size in the range 15–18 nm. The surface morphology of the prepared anode material shows nano-spheres, dumbbells, and platelets. The elemental analysis confirms the presence of Sr, Cr, La, Al, and O in the prepared material. The metal-oxide formation has been confirmed with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The absorption spectra revealed red shift in bandgap 3.65–2.85 eV by increasing the Al concentration. The maximum dc electrical conductivity of the composition anode La 0.5 Sr 0.5 Al 0.4 Cr 0.6 O 3-δ is found to be 8.01 Scm−1 at 600 °C. The achieved power density of the anode La 0.5 Sr 0.5 Al 0.4 Cr 0.6 O 3-δ is 69 mWcm−2 using hydrogen fuel at 600 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, ranks among the top causes of global human mortality, as reported by the World Health Organization’s 2022 TB report. The prevalence of M. tuberculosis strains that are multiple and extensive-drug resistant represents a significant barrier to TB eradication. Fortunately, having many completely sequenced M. tuberculosis genomes available has made it possible to investigate the species pangenome, conduct a pan-phylogenetic investigation, and find potential new drug targets. The 442 complete genome dataset was used to estimate the pangenome of M. tuberculosis. This study involved phylogenomic classification and in-depth analyses. Sequential filters were applied to the conserved core genome containing 2754 proteins. These filters assessed non-human homology, virulence, essentiality, physiochemical properties, and pathway analysis. Through these intensive filtering approaches, promising broad-spectrum therapeutic targets were identified. These targets were docked with FDA-approved compounds readily available on the ZINC database. Selected highly ranked ligands with inhibitory potential include dihydroergotamine and abiraterone acetate. The effectiveness of the ligands has been supported by molecular dynamics simulation of the ligand–protein complexes, instilling optimism that the identified lead compounds may serve as a robust basis for the development of safe and efficient drugs for TB treatment, subject to further lead optimization and subsequent experimental validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces a novel iterative process, denoted as F ★ , designed for the class of generalized α -Nonexpensive mappings. The study establishes strong and weak convergence theorems within the context of Banach spaces, supported by carefully chosen assumptions. The convergence results contribute to the theoretical foundation of iterative processes in functional analysis. The presented framework is applied to address nonlinear integral equations, showcasing the versatility and applicability of the proposed F * for the class of generalized iteration process. Additionally, the article includes numerical examples that not only validate the theoretical findings but also provide insights into the practical utility of the developed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to compare how well different designs of combined photovoltaic-thermal collectors work in terms of electricity and heat production. One big benefit of photovoltaic-thermal collectors, compared to regular solar panels, is that they cool down the module and make it produce more electricity efficiently. In simple terms, using this method produces heat and electricity in a device, which means one needs less space to install the collector and module. In a recent study, scientists looked at how well different designs of a solar panel that is also used to generate heat performed. They tested using water to keep it cool. To study and understand how different shapes and sizes affect the performance of a solar panel, we used a computer program called MATLAB to create models of the panel. The research shows that the sheet and tube design with a round or rectangular shape is the most efficient in terms of heat and overall performance. Moreover, when a glass cover is present, it causes electricity to be less efficient while making heat efficiency and overall heat energy higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current works aim is performance improvement of different integrated energy systems towards net-zero energy which is driven by a set of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) through adding some components like fuel cell and thermoelectric generator (TEG) in new arrangements introduced and analyzed. The novelty of the present work is the proposal of the new arrangement of energy conversion systems. In this study the basic cycle (cycle 1) is including an ICE, Kalina cycle, Humidification and Dehumidification (HDH) unit, in cycle 2, the HDH is eliminated while a fuel cell is added to the system and in the cycle 3, in addition to fuel cell and having HDH unit in the system, a thermoelectric generator (TEG) has been used instead of condenser to recover more wasted thermal energy. The performance of all proposed systems is analyzed from energy, exergy, and exergo-economic aspects. It is demonstrated that from an energetic viewpoint, cycle 3 has the better performance with an energy efficiency, and net output power of 37% and 391.7 kW, respectively. That is while from an exergetic viewpoint cycle 2 with exergy destruction of 257.1 kW has superior exergetic performance. The results of current work can provide a precise basis for designing an efficient energy system with a higher thermal performance. • Performance of different integrated energy systems towards net-zero energy. • Cycle components are ICE, HDH unit, Fuel cell, Thermoelectric generator. • From energetic viewpoint, cycle 3 has the better performance. • From exergetic viewpoint, cycle 2 has superior exergetic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inability of ordinary least square estimators against multicollinearity has paved the way for the development of various ridge-type estimators, which are recently classified as one-parameter and two-parameter ridge estimators. In this paper, we offer some efficient two-parameter ridge estimators and evaluate their performance through a simulation study by using the minimum mean square error criterion. Under most of the simulation conditions, our proposed estimators outperformed the existing estimators. Finally, two real-life datasets are used to demonstrate the applications of our proposed estimators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycolysis, which occurs in the cytoplasm of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, is regarded to be the primary step employed in the breakdown of glucose to extract energy. As it is utilized by all living things on the planet, it was likely one of the first metabolic routes to emerge. It is a cytoplasmic mechanism that converts glucose into carbon molecules while also producing energy. The enzyme hexokinase aids in the phosphorylation of glucose. Hexokinase is inhibited by this mechanism, which generates glucose-6-P from adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This paper's primary goal is to quantitatively examine the general reaction–diffusion Glycolysis system. Since the Glycolysis model shows a positive result as the unknown variables represent chemical substance concentration, therefore, to evaluate the behavior of the model for the non-integral order derivative of both independent variables, we expanded the concept of the conventional order Glycolysis model to the fractional Glycolysis model. The nonlinearity of the model is decomposed through an Adomian polynomial for evaluation. More precisely, we used the iterative Laplace Adomian decomposition method (LADM) to determine the numerical solution for the underlying model. The model's necessary analytical/numerical solution was found by adding the first few iterations. Finally, we have presented numerical examples and graphical representations to explain the dynamics of the considered model to ensure the scheme's validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Channel state information in millimeter wave (mmWave) and terahertz (THz) communications systems is vital for various tasks ranging from planning the optimal locations of BSs to efficient beam tracking mechanisms to handover design. Due to the use of large-scale phased antenna arrays and high sensitivity to environmental geometry and materials, precise propagation models for these bands are obtained via ray-tracing modeling. However, the propagation conditions in mmWave/THz systems may theoretically change at very small distances, that is, 1 mm–1 μ m, which requires extreme computational effort for modeling. In this paper, we first will assess the effective correlation distances in mmWave/THz systems for different outdoor scenarios, user mobility patterns, and line-of-sight (LoS) and non-LoS (nLoS) conditions. As the metrics of interest, we utilize the angle of arrival/departure (AoA/AoD) and path loss of the first few strongest rays. Then, to reduce the computational efforts required for the ray-tracing procedure, we propose a methodology for the extrapolation and interpolation of these metrics based on the convolutional long short-term memory (ConvLSTM) model. The proposed methodology is based on a special representation of the channel state information in a form suitable for state-of-the-art video enhancement machine learning (ML) techniques, which allows for the use of their powerful prediction capabilities. To assess the prediction performance of the ConvLSTM model, we utilize precision and recall as the main metrics of interest. Our numerical results demonstrate that the channel state correlation in AoA/AoD parameters is preserved up until approximately 0.3–0.6 m, which is 300–600 times larger than the wavelength at 300 GHz. The use of a ConvLSTM model allows us to accurately predict AoA and AoD angles up to the 0.6 m distance with AoA being characterized by a higher mean squared error (MSE). Our results can be utilized to speed up ray-tracing simulations by selecting the grid step size, resulting in the desired trade-off between modeling accuracy and computational time. Additionally, it can also be utilized to improve beam tracking in mmWave/THz systems via a selection of the time step between beam realignment procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this contribution, we describe the kinetics associated with the rac-Me2Si[2-Me-4-Ph-Ind]2ZrCl2 (Cat-1)/borate/TIBA catalyzed copolymerization of E/dienes (isoprene (IP), butadiene (BD), 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (ENB), 4-vinylcyclohexene (VCH) and vinyl norbornene (VNB)), and E/diene/1-hexene (1H) terpolymerization by using thiophenecarbonyl chloride (TPCC) that was used in Ziegler-Natta (Z-N) and metallocene-catalyzed polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) and E/P polymerizations. In both types of polymerizations, a higher amount of dienes was incorporated when VNB (2.70 mole %) and VCH (1.56 mole %) were added as comonomer, but IP and BD were incorporated with the moderated rate (0.6-1.1 mole %) with higher activities (3.45x106gm/mmolMt·h). The active center [Zr]/[C*] fraction is higher (61%) than previously reported PE polymerizations, especially in the case of E/IP, E/BD and E/IP/1H but lower than E/P (87%) copolymerization. Significantly, IP and BD activated the inactive catalytic sites that were dormant in the PE. The propagation rate constant (kpE) with IP was higher (kp564 Lmol-1s-1), while kpE with VNB (kp379 Lmol-1s-1) and VCH (kp304 Lmol-1s-1), which were lower than PE. This difference is built because of the diffusion barrier in the system. Compared to E/diene copolymers, kpE values in E/diene/1H terpolymerizations for IP, VCH, and VNB are higher and stable except ENB and determine that 1H prevents the insertion of dienes and reduces the crystalline properties resultant moderate kpE. Even though the E/BD copolymers decreased butadiene content of over 2 mol% resulted in better crystalline characteristics, lower diffusion barriers, and a higher kpE value. In concept, IP and BD are linear and readily available for coordination. While VCH, ENB and VNB are cyclic and bulky, metallocene in contact ion pairs cannot accept ENB, VNB, and VCH for coordination and subsequently act as dormant in the polymerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the advancements made in the understanding of Interpolative contraction, building upon the ideas initially introduced by Karapinar in 2018. In this paper, we develop the notion of Interpolative contraction mappings to the case of non-linear Kannan Interpolative, Riech Rus Ćirić interpolative and Hardy–Roger Interpolative contraction mappings based on controlled function, and prove some fixed point results in the context of controlled metric space, thereby enhancing the current understanding of this particular analysis. Furthermore, we provide a concrete example that illustrates the underlying drive for the investigations presented in this context. An application of the proposed non-linear Interpolative-contractions to the Liouville–Caputo fractional derivatives and fractional differential equations is provided in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand how the silyl-bridged metallocene catalysts rac-Me2Si(2-Me-4-Ph-Ind)2ZrCl2 behave against dienes under the same reaction condition because of its importance as a commercial polymerization catalyst and ethylene propylene diene monomers (EPDM). Adding diene depressed the catalytic activity, especially 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (ENB) exerted the most substantial deactivation effect. Firstly, we examine the (ENB, vinyl norbornene (VNB) and 4-vinylcyclohexene (VCH)) non-conjugated and conjugated (isoprene (IP), butadiene (BD)) diene and address how polymerization catalysts behave against these dienes. For example, the catalytic activity was enhanced with IP and BD (3–3.3106 gm/mmolMt·h) compared to ENB, VNB and VCH. The VNB incorporation rate was prolonged (5.4 mol%), but with IP and BD, it was relatively moderate. E/P/IP and E/P/BD with higher incorporation of E produced a higher MW, which means that the chain transfer reaction with ethylene is slower than P. Secondly, we address how the dienes exocyclic and exocyclicπ bonds of non-conjugated and conjugated properties of IP and BD affect the kinetic measurements such as active centers [Zr]/[C*] fraction, EPDM chain propagation, termination, and isomerization. Finally, we compare [Zr]/[C*] and kpPE, kpP and kpDienes for different EPDM. After collecting these kinetic parameters, we can describe the mechanism's intricacy and the existence of considerable catalyst dormancy with dienes under identical reaction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For one pot esterification as well as transesterification of waste oil (WO), K+ impregnated tungstophosphoric acid (TPA) was supported over graphene oxide (GO) and used as a heterogeneous catalyst. The structure of the catalyst was evaluated by a powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) study. The elemental oxidation state and catalyst composition was confirmed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) technique supported the existence of acidic and basic sites on the surface of the catalyst. Being acidic, TPA probably catalyzes the esterification while K+ transesterification activity to the catalyst. Beneath the optimized reaction conditions, i.e. loading of catalyst 10 wt% (concerning oil), methanol: oil molar ratio of 9:1 with reaction temperature of 65 °C, >98.5% (±0.34) biodiesel was produced within 1.5 h of reaction period. By using centrifugation, the catalyst was extracted from the reaction mixture and recycled six times. The metal level in the reaction mixture was determined to be less than 2 ppm, supporting the stability of the catalyst. Additionally, the catalyst was found to be active even in the existence of free fatty acid (up to 8.76 wt%) and moisture (up to 4.0 wt%) contents. The positive values of enthalpy of activation (ΔH‡) and free energy of reaction (ΔG‡) highlighted the endothermic and non-spontaneous nature of the reaction. The kinetic modeling study, using MATLAB software (version R2021b), suggests that the reaction of WO with the synthesized catalyst was found to follow a (pseudo) first-order kinetic equation. A negative value of entropy of activation (ΔS‡) indicates that the reaction of triglyceride (T) to diglyceride (D) follows the associative pathway. In contrast, the diglyceride to monoglyceride (M) and monoglyceride to glycerol (G) conversion progressed via dissociative route. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feature selection in high dimensional gene expression datasets not only reduces the dimension of the data, but also the execution time and computational cost of the underlying classifier. The current study introduces a novel feature selection method called weighted signal to noise ratio (WSNR) by exploiting the weights of features based on support vectors and signal to noise ratio, with an objective to identify the most informative genes in high dimensional classification problems. The combination of two state-of-the-art procedures enables the extration of the most informative genes. The corresponding weights of these procedures are then multiplied and arranged in decreasing order. Larger weight of a feature indicates its discriminatory power in classifying the tissue samples to their true classes. The current method is validated on eight gene expression datasets. Moreover, results of the proposed method (WSNR) are also compared with four well known feature selection methods. We found that the (WSNR) outperform the other competing methods on 6 out of 8 datasets. Box-plots and Bar-plots of the results of the proposed method and all the other methods are also constructed. The proposed method is further assessed on simulated data. Simulation analysis reveal that (WSNR) outperforms all the other methods included in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research work is basically devoted to construction of a fractional order differential equation with time delay. Initially, integral representation is given to solution of the underline problem. Afterwards, operator form of solution is studied under some auxiliary hypothesis. Since uniqueness of solution is required, therefore we also provide results for exploring the uniqueness of solution for the underlying model. Using Lebesgue dominated convergence theorem and some other results from analysis, this work provides results devoted to existence of at least one solution. Also, for investigating the nature of solution for the proposed model, we study different kind of stability analysis. These stability related results show, how the solution behave with time. At the end of the article, we illustrate the obtained results via some examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycerol derivative triacetin (TA) has diverse applications in the pharmaceutical, fuel, cosmetic, and food industries. Hence, it is vital to quantify triacetin in a given sample before it can be employed for a suitable commercial application. The conventional HPLC based method of TA quantification is time-consuming, leads to generating liquid waste, and requires unique columns, reference materials, and a suitable detector for the identification of molecules under investigation. To simplify TA quantification, herein, we have proposed a quantitative proton nuclear magnetic resonance (qHNMR) based method which does not require any complicated sample preparation method, sample derivatization, long analysis time, or highly pure reference materials. For TA quantification, an equation based on proton NMR analysis of standard mixtures of TA and glycerol of variable compositions is proposed. To validate the developed method, TA was quantified in samples with its variable concentrations by either qHNMR or HPLC, and the results were found to be comparable (R2 = 0.99). Further, to demonstrate the practical application, the technique was employed to quantify TA formed during acetylation of glycerol with acetic acid at various time intervals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we describe an efficient strategy for the construction of enzyme‐metal biohybrid catalyst [Pd(0)‐CALB@SiO2] via encapsulation of Candida antarctica lipase B and Pd(0) within silica. Next, the applicability of the newly constructed biohybrid was demonstrated by catalyzing the sequence of Groebke‐Blackburn‐Bienayme (GBB) multicomponent reaction and Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling in a single‐pot to produce clinically significant imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridine derivatives. Interestingly, both entities, i.e. CALB enzyme and Pd(0)‐metal of hybrid catalyst, exhibited good catalytic activity during this approach. Further, the generality of this protocol was explored by using differently substituted boronic acid, which gave related products in 49–87 % isolated yield. Next, the synthetic utility was proved by set‐up a gram scale reaction which provided the complementary product in 81 % yield. Also, the developed biohybrid was found to be reusable up to five catalytic cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Despite advances in treatment of subtypes of breast cancer, there still lacks reliable biomarkers with precision to predict treatment response at diagnosis. We used machine-learning tools and developed and validated a novel 12-Gene Algorithm as a biomarker for prediction of treatment response for breast cancer patients, especially those suffering triple-negative cancer. The 12-Gene Algorithm based on KRAS-associated gene-mutation profiles showed high accuracy at predicting the response of breast cancer patients including triple-negative subtype to first-line chemotherapy treatment in two independent patient cohorts. Our study suggests that the 12-Gene Algorithm has a potential to be used in clinical practice to improve breast cancer treatment decision-making, especially for triple-negative breast cancer patients. Purpose: There is an urgent need for developing new biomarker tools to accurately predict treatment response of breast cancer, especially the deadly triple-negative breast cancer. We aimed to develop gene-mutation-based machine learning (ML) algorithms as biomarker classifiers to predict treatment response of first-line chemotherapy with high precision. Methods: Random Forest ML was applied to screen the algorithms of various combinations of gene mutation profiles of primary tumors at diagnosis using a TCGA Cohort (n = 399) with up to 150 months follow-up as a training set and validated in a MSK Cohort (n = 807) with up to 220 months follow-up. Subtypes of breast cancer including triple-negative and luminal A (ER+, PR+ and HER2−) were also assessed. The predictive performance of the candidate algorithms as classifiers was further assessed using logistic regression, Kaplan–Meier progression-free survival (PFS) plot, and univariate/multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses. Results: A novel algorithm termed the 12-Gene Algorithm based on mutation profiles of KRAS, PIK3CA, MAP3K1, MAP2K4, PTEN, TP53, CDH1, GATA3, KMT2C, ARID1A, RunX1, and ESR1, was identified. The performance of this algorithm to distinguish non-progressed (responder) vs. progressed (non-responder) to treatment in the TCGA Cohort as determined using AUC was 0.96 (95% CI 0.94–0.98). It predicted progression-free survival (PFS) with hazard ratio (HR) of 21.6 (95% CI 11.3–41.5) (p < 0.0001) in all patients. The algorithm predicted PFS in the triple-negative subgroup with HR of 19.3 (95% CI 3.7–101.3) (n = 42, p = 0.000). The 12-Gene Algorithm was validated in the MSK Cohort with a similar AUC of 0.97 (95% CI 0.96–0.98) to distinguish responder vs. non-responder patients, and had a HR of 18.6 (95% CI 4.4–79.2) to predict PFS in the triple-negative subgroup (n = 75, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The novel 12-Gene algorithm based on multitude gene-mutation profiles identified through ML has a potential to predict breast cancer treatment response to therapies, especially in triple-negative subgroups patients, which may assist personalized therapies and reduce mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an analysis of the combining effect of novel activation function and loss function based on M-estimation in application to extreme learning machine (ELM), a feed-forward neural network. Due to the computational efficiency and classification/prediction accuracy of ELM and its variants, they have been widely exploited in the development of new technologies and applications. However, in real applications, the performance of classical ELMs deteriorates in the presence of outliers, thus, negatively impacting the precision and accuracy of the system. To further enhance the performance of ELM and its variants, we proposed novel activation functions based on the psi function of M and redescend the M-estimation method along with the smooth l 2-norm weight-loss functions to reduce the negative impact of the outliers. The proposed psi functions of several M and redescending M-estimation methods are more flexible to make more distinct features space. For the first time, the idea of the psi function as an activation function in the neural network is introduced in the literature to ensure accurate prediction. In addition, new robust l 2 norm-loss functions based on M and redescending M-estimation are proposed to deal with outliers efficiently in ELM. To evaluate the performance of the proposed methodology against other state-of-the-art techniques, experiments have been performed in diverse environments, which show promising improvements in application to regression and classification problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, inspired by the concept of B-metric-like space (BMLS), we introduce the concept of orthogonal B-metric-like space (OBMLS) via a hybrid pair of operators. Additionally, we establish the concept of orthogonal dynamic system (ODS) as a generalization of the dynamic system (DS), which improves the existing results for analysies such as those presented here. By applying this, some new refinements of the F ⊥ -Suzuki-type ( F ⊥ -ST) fixed-point results are presented. These include some tangible instances, and applications in the field of nonlinear analysis are given to highlight the usability and validity of the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have investigated the fractional-order Brusselator model for the approximate analytical solution. The concerned coupled system of nonlinear fractional-order partial differential equations (PDEs) has been considered in many research articles to describe various real-world problems. Nonlinear dynamical systems are increasingly used in autocatalytic chemical reactions. These types of autocatalytic chemical reaction models have a variety of applications in several physical systems. The Brusselator model is one of the intensively used autocatalytic models. We have obtained the approximate solution of the considered fractional nonlinear Brusselator model in the Caputo sense by using the Laplace–Adomian decomposition method (LADM). We have established a general scheme for the solution to the proposed model by applying the LADM. We then testified two examples to demonstrate our analysis. The results we have obtained ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed technique. The said technique does not require any kind of prior discretization or collocation. Also, with the help of Matlab, we have presented 2D and 3D plots for the approximate solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar fertilization improves soil fertility and carbon sequestration, implying agricultural and environmental advantages. The effect of different sized previously applied biochar and biofertilizer agents on succeeding crops remains poorly known for legume–cereal cropping cycles. This study compared different particle-sized biochar and biofertilizer strains applied to lentils for their residual impact on subsequent maize growth, nutrition, and soil fertility without further polluting the environment. Three particle sizes (<2, 2–5, 5–10 mm) of Babul tree (Acacia arabica) wood biochar was obtained through grinding and sieving and applied prior to the lentil (first) crop at a rate of 500 g m−2. The commercial Rhizobium leguminosarum products Biozote-N and Rhizogold were inoculated to lentil seeds before sowing. The effect of biochar and biofertilizer agents on the succeeding maize (second) crops was evaluated for soil and crop performance. Findings revealed that particle sizes of <2 mm biochar and Biozote-N inoculation enhanced plant height, leaf area and leaf area index, biological yield, and thousand grain weight of the subsequent maize crop. Maize grain yield was enhanced by 2.5%, tissue N uptake by 15%, nitrogen uptake efficiency by 17%, grain protein content by 15%, extractable P by 17%, and soil bulk density by 3% with a residual biochar particle size of <2 mm and Biozote-N inoculation. It was concluded that the finely grounded (<2 mm) biochar particle combined with inoculation of Biozote-N was superior to larger particle sizes for enhancing crop growth and improving soil fertility status at the residual level, benefiting the subsequent crop in a legume–cereal rotation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this work were to address the fundamental characteristics of ansa-zirconocene catalyzed E/diene copolymerization and E/diene/1-hexene and E/diene/propylene terpolymerizations, and the quantitative relationship between diene structure and polymer chain propagation rate constant in term of quantifiable catalytic active sites. One of the most important but unknown factors in olefins ansa-zirconocene complexes is the distribution of the catalyst between sites actively participating in polymer chain formation and dormant sites. A set of ethylene/dienes copolymerizations, and ethylene/dienes/1-hexene and ethylene/dienes/1-hexene terpolymerizations catalyzed with ansa-zirconocenes/borate/triisobutylaluminium (rac-Et(Ind)2ZrCl2/[Ph3C][B(C6F5)4]/triisobutylaluminium (TIBA) were performed in toluene at 50 °C To determine the active center [C*]/[Zr] ratio variation in the copolymerization of E with different dienes and their terpolymerization with 1-hexene and propylene, each polymer propagation chain ends were quenched with 2-thiophenecarbonyl, which selectively quenches the metal–polymer bonds through acyl chloride. The ethylene, propylene, 1-hexene, and diene composition-based propagation rate constants (kpE, kpP, kp1-H, and kpdiene), thermal (melting and crystalline) properties, composition (mol% of ethylene, propylene, 1-hexene, and diene), molecular weight, and polydispersity were also studied in this work. Systematic comparisons of the proportion of catalytically [Zr]/[C*] active sites and polymerization rate constant (kp) for ansa-zirconocenes catalyzed E/diene, E/diene/1-hexene, and E/diene/propylene polymerization have not been reported before. We evaluated the addition of 1-hexene and propylene as termonomers in the copolymerization with E/diene. To make a comparison for each diene under identical conditions, we started the polymerization by introducing an 80/20 mole ratio of E/P and 0.12 mol/L of 1-hexene in the system. The catalyst behavior against different dienes, 1-hexene, and propylene is very interesting, including changes in thermal properties, cyclization of 1-hexene, and decreased incorporation of isoprene and butadiene, changes in the diffusion barriers in the system, and its effect on kp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In current study impact of climate change on net revenue of rice crop in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Pakistan was assessed by cross-sectional Ricardian method. Data was collected from 180 rice growers in different climatic zone of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including southern, central and northern regions. Key cost components were identified by simple budgeting technique. It reveals that land rent account for 29.11% of total cost, followed by labor (26.47%), threshing (8.53%) and tractor hours (8.31%). Per acre net returns noted vary across climatic zones, with northern zone yielding the highest at Rs. 30190.76/-followed by southern (Rs. 29957.12/-) and central zone (Rs. 27340.72/-). Temporal analysis having range from 1986-2021 reveals an upward trend for temperature in all three stages across the three zones. While rainfall patterns exhibit hill shaped curve during sowing and vegetative stages and a U-shaped curve during harvesting stage. Controlled variables including tractor hours, labor days, urea, DAP, and irrigation show positive and significant correlations with net revenue. A 1% increase in these variables results net revenue increase by 0.172 %, 0.175%, 0.019%, 0.061% and 0.113%, respectively. Study revealed non-linear relationship between temperature, rainfall and net revenue. Temperature's impact on net revenue follow inverted-U shaped with a critical temperature of 31 C°, beyond which rice crop yield decrease. Rainfall's effect for net return is U-shaped with a minimum rainfall level of 41 mm for study period. It is concluded that temperature increase in southern and central zone adversely affect crop yield because average temperature (34.88 °C, 34.77 °C) already exceeds the optimal level. Based on findings study recommended mechanized farming practices, such as use of rice combine harvester, mechanical drier and automatic planters to reduce production costs. Further, optimizing the use of basic inputs and implementing nature-based measures such as developing vegetative cover to control temperature could enhance net returns. Effective information sharing among stakeholders and timely action are essential to mitigate climate change risk in study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The supramolecular-based macrocyclic amphiphiles have fascinating attention and find extensive utilization in the pharmaceutical industry for efficient drug delivery. In this study, we designed and synthesized a new supramolecular amphiphilic macrocycle to serve as an efficient nanocarrier, achieved by treating 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde with 1-bromotetradecane. The derivatized product was subsequently treated with resorcinol to cyclize, resulting in the formation of a calix(4)-resorcinarene-based supramolecular amphiphilic macrocycle. The synthesized macrocycle and intermediate products were characterized using mass spectrometry, IR, and 1H NMR spectroscopic techniques. The amphotericin-B (Amph-B)-loaded and unloaded amphiphiles were screened for biocompatibility studies, vesicle formation, particle shape, size, surface charge, drug entrapment, in-vitro release profile, and stability through atomic force microscopy (AFM), Zetasizer, HPLC, and FT-IR. Amph-B -loaded macrocycle-based niosomal vesicles were investigated for in-vivo bioavailability in rabbits. The synthesized macrocycle exhibited no cytotoxicity against normal mouse fibroblast cells and was found to be hemocompatible and safe in mice following an acute toxicity study. The drug-loaded macrocycle-based vesicles appeared spherical, nano-sized, and homogeneous in size, with a notable negative surface charge. The vesicles remained stable after 30 days of storage. The results of Amph-B oral bioavailability and pharmacokinetics revealed that the newly tailored niosomal formulation enhanced drug solubility, protected drug degradation at gastric pH, facilitated sustained drug release at the specific target site, and delayed plasma drug clearance. Incorporating such advanced niosomal formulations in the field of drug delivery systems has the potential to revolutionize therapeutic outcomes and improve the quality of patient well-being. [Display omitted] • A new supramolecular macrocyclic amphiphile was synthesized. • Supramolecular macrocyclic amphiphile have potential to encapsulate Amphotericin-B. • Macrocyclic amphiphile demonstrated sustained drug release behaviors at various pH. • Amphotericin-B loaded macrocyclic amphiphile exhibited oral bioavailability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research study focuses on the analytical behavior and numerical computation of the fractional order Ebola model. In this study we have calculated the conditions for the existence, uniqueness, and stability of the solution with the help of the fixed point results. In addition to this, we calculated the numerical solution of the fractional order smoke model with the help two-step fractional Adam's Bashforth method using the Caputo's fractional derivative of order μ. Furthermore, the results obtained for different orders of the fractional derivative μ have been shown graphically with the help of Matlab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is aimed at understanding the serious foaming problems during microalgal cultivation in industrial raceway ponds by studying the dynamic foam properties in Arthrospira platensis cultivation. A. platensis was cultivated in a 4 L bowl bioreactor for 4 days, during which the foam height above the algal solution increased from 0 to 30 mm with a bubble diameter of 1.8 mm, and biomass yield reached 1.5 g/L. The algal solution surface tension decreased from 55 to 45 mN/m, which favored the adsorption of microalgae on the bubble to generate more stable foams. This resulted in increased foam stability (FS) from 1 to 10 s, foam capacity (FC) from 0.3 to 1.2, foam expansion (FE) from 15 to 43, and foam maximum density (FMD) from 0.02 to 0.07. These results show a decrease in CO2 flow rate and operation temperature when using the Foamscan instrument, which minimized the foaming phenomenon in algal solutions to a significantly lower and acceptable level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study discusses architectural skins in buildings with parametric design to verify whether they have specific and clear limitations with the other surfaces. This is an important characteristic of the essence of the architectural skins in buildings designed in ordinary ways, or whether there is ambiguity in that, and it is not easy to distinguish between the components of the architectural form of those buildings. The purpose of this study is to explore whether the new technology, represented by parametric design, makes the architectural skins of buildings lose their leadership of other components in the composition and presentation of the architectural form of the buildings, to allow the emergence of new essences for architectural skins of buildings with parametric design. This process will be based on a comparative study between buildings designed in ordinary ways and buildings designed with parametric design, to examine whether technology has changed architectural skins and made them lose part of their essence and role, by comparing them with the basic components of architectural skins essence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions for the nonlocal boundary value problem (BVP) using Caputo fractional derivative (CFD). We derive Green's function and give some estimation for it to derive our main results. The main principles applied to investigate our results are based on the Banach contraction fixed point theorem and Schauder fixed point approach. We dwell in detail on some results concerning the Hyers-Ulam (H-U) type and generalized H-U (g-H-U) type stability also for problem we are considering. We justify our results with an illustrative example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manuscript is an extension of the investigations concerning θ-contractions which have been newly proposed in (Jleli and Samet in J. Inequal. Appl. 2014:38, 2014). The authors generalize the notion of θ-contractions to the case of nonlinear θ b -contraction mappings and prove multi-valued fixed point theorems based on the b-Bianchini–Grandolfi gauge function in b-metric spaces. The manuscript consists of a tangible example which displays the motivation for such investigations. The work is compiled by the application of the proposed nonlinear θ b -contractions to Liouville–Caputo fractional differential equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic reflections are crucial for obtaining information about subsurface structures and lithologies for oil and gas exploration. Several techniques have recently been introduced which improve the visualization of subsurface structures, lithologies, and facies. This article proposes a novel method of seismic reflection identification through the integration of continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN). Here, a three-layer geological model is adopted. Initially, 2D seismic reflection data with 5%, 8%, and 10% Gaussian noise are generated. Later, the DBSCAN algorithm is applied to 2D noise seismic data, and clusters are generated at their respective times for each reflector. Next, to confirm and validate the results of DBSCAN, CWT is executed on the cluster data set. Based on our results of CWT, the true representation of seismic data with minimum noise in the time domain is achieved. The successful integration of DBSCAN and CWT is achieved in terms of identification of true seismic reflections as localized anomalous zones at 0.8 s, 1 s, and 1.07 s, which exactly match the geological model of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variant of Jessen's type inequality for a semigroup of positive linear operators, defined on a Banach lattice algebra, is obtained. The corresponding mean value theorems lead to a new family of mean-operators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a approach to optimize the operation of the smart multi-carrier energy system (SMCES) in residential consumers taking into account the uncertain nature of gas and electrical prices. The optimal operation of the SMCES is implemented using a multi-stage interval optimization approach with a multifunctional hydrogen storage system and demand-side management. Modeling optimization approach as three-stage is done for minimizing operation costs of the SMCES under energy prices uncertainty. The demand-side management based on load-shifting and load-interruption approaches for electrical demand in the residential buildings for the first and second stages is considered, respectively. The load-shifting for electrical demand is modeled subject to optimal consumption at day-ahead. Also, load-interruption approach is implemented for peak clipping of electrical demand subject to bidding prices from energy operator to residential consumers. In the third stage optimization, uncertainty of the electricity and gas prices in the operation cost with multi-criteria problem such as deviation and average rates by interval optimization approach is modeled. The modified electrical demand in the first and second stages is linked in the third stage for managing uncertainties. Moreover, multifunctional hydrogen storage system based on gas and electrical generation alongside demand-side management in third stage optimization for covering uncertainties is taken into account. The improved sunflower optimization algorithm is used to solve all stages, and the TOPSIS method is proposed for choosing the best trade-off of the multiple-criteria problem in the third stage. Finally, the suggested optimization modeling is represented in the several case studies to validate the achieved results with participation of the demand-side management and hydrogen storage system in day-ahead optimal operation of the SMCES. The participation of the demand-side management and the hydrogen storage systems leads to minimizing the deviation and average rates by 2.14% and 2.64% in comparison with non-participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is the hotspot of every political and economic debate around the world. Its impacts are severe, and developing countries are highly vulnerable. Greenhouse gas emissions are growing because of economic expansion and an ever-expanding population. Using a fully modified OLS estimator, this study evaluated the link between sulfur emissions (SO2) and economic indices in SAARC nations. In addition, the study included panel data from SAARC nations from 1975 to 2018. For the long-run connection between variables, the study used panel unit root and cointegration tests. The study also included a trend analysis to comprehend the dataset's monotone tendency. The findings signify that the GDP growth has negatively influenced SO2 emissions. Therefore, foreign direct investment, trade openness, electric energy production, and population growth positively relate to SO2 emissions. The SAARC countries will promote sustainable economic growth because GDP growth is not influencing greenhouse gases. The demand for energy in SAARC countries is growing by with increasing population and economic growth by integrating different economic corridors in the Asia region, which affects environmental quality through increased economic activities. All the nations need to increase renewable resources for energy generation; otherwise, the problem of the environment remains unsolved. SAARC countries need to change the goods mix in international trade and avoid dirty imports and exports to adopt market-based policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schnakenberg model is known as one of the influential model used in several biological processes. The proposed model is an autocatalytic reaction in nature that arises in various biological models. In such kind of reactions, the rate of reaction speeds up as the reaction proceeds. It is because when a product itself acts as a catalyst. In fact, model endows fractional derivatives that got great advancement in the investigation of mathematical modeling with memory effect. Therefore, in the present paper, the authors develop a scheme for the solution of fractional order Schnakenberg model. The proposed model describes an auto chemical reaction with possible oscillatory behavior which may have several applications in biological and biochemical processes. In this work, the authors generalized the concept of integer order Schnakenberg model to fractional order Schnakenberg model. We provided the approximate solution for the underlying generalized nonlinear Schnakenberg model in the sense of Caputo differential operator via Laplace Adomian decomposition method (LADM). Furthermore, we established the general scheme for the considered model in the form of infinite series by the aforementioned technique. The consequent results obtained by the proposed technique ensure that LADM is an effective and accurate techniques to handle nonlinear partial differential equations as compared to the other available numerical techniques. Finally, the obtained numerical solution is visualized graphically by MATLAB to describe the dynamics of desired solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decades, much have been learned about HIV-1 virus and its molecular strategies for pathogenesis. However, HIV-1 still remains an enigmatic virus, particularly because of its unique proteins. Establishment of latency and reactivation is still a puzzling question and various temporal and spatial dynamics between HIV-1 proteins itself have given us new way of thinking about its pathogenesis. HIV-1 replication depends on Tat which is a small unstructured protein and subjected to various post-translational modifications for its myriad of functions. HIV-1 Tat protein modulates the functions of various strategic cellular pathways like proteasomal machinery and inflammatory pathways to aid in HIV-1 pathogenesis. Many of the recent findings have shown that Tat is associated with exosomes, cleared from HIV-1 infected cells through its degradation by diverse routes ranging from lysosomal to proteasomal pathways. HIV-1 Tat was also found to be associated with other HIV-1 proteins including Vpr, Nef, Nucleocapsid (NC) and Rev. Interaction of Tat with Vpr and Nef increases its transactivation function, whereas, interaction of Tat with NC or Rev leads to Tat protein degradation and hence suppression of Tat functions. Research in the recent years has established that Tat is not only important for HIV-1 promoter transactivation and virus replication but also modulating multiple cellular and molecular functions leading to HIV-1 pathogenicity. In this review we discussed various transcriptional and non-transcriptional HIV-1 Tat functions which modulate host cell metabolism during HIV-1 pathogenesis. • The various transcriptional and non-transcriptional functions of Tat are explained. • Multiple functions of HIV-1 Tat is due its intrinsic disorder. • Tat serves both pro and anti-apoptotic protein. • The pathogen sensing ability is in patients is modulated by Tat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the trend of the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic in Pakistan and to explore the community perception of the socioeconomic impact of COVID‐19 pandemic in a rural mountain area of Pakistan. An online survey was conducted through snowball sampling technique and total 367 people participated in the survey. The results of the study show that COVID‐19 cases spiked amid ease of lockdown in the country and the spread of novel coronavirus pandemic has significant socioeconomic impact on the lives of mountain communities in Gilgit‐Baltistan. Financial uncertainty, decrease in income, fear of job loss, and food insecurity are some major challenges that mountain communities face due to outbreak of coronavirus in the region. The results further show that lack of community cooperation with government agencies, lack of awareness about the severity of coronavirus, and insufficient COVID‐19 testing kits are the major factors that caused the spread of coronavirus cases. This study suggests that the short‐, medium‐, and long‐term policies are required to mitigate the consequences of this pandemic and to revitalize the mountain economy of Gilgit‐Baltistan, and in this regard, this study provides baseline information for policy‐makers and practitioners to devise such demanding policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen with remarkable adaptation ability to thrive in diverse environmental conditions. This study aimed at phenotypic and molecular analysis of metallo beta lactamases (blaIMP, blaVIM, blaNDM-1 and blaSPM-1) and genetic diversity analysis among imipenem resistant clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Methods: This study was conducted from May 2017 to June 2018. The study included 187 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates collected from different clinical specimens from Peshawar, Pakistan. The isolates were analyzed for resistance to imipenem. Combined disc test (CDT) was then performed for phenotypic detection of metallo beta lactamases among imipenem resistant isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Molecular detection of metallo beta lactamases genes i.e. blaIMP, blaVIM, blaNDM-1 and blaSPM-1 was analyzed through polymerase chain reaction. Genetic diversity was determined through RAPD-PCR. Results: MBL production was observed in 76% (n=19) isolates. The occurrence of MBL genes blaIMP, blaNDM-1 and blaVIM was 68% (n=17), 48% (n=12), and 4% (n=1) respectively. The blaSPM-1 gene was not detected. High genetic diversity was observed in current study. Out of 182 isolates 171 isolates showed different RAPD profiles (93.95% polymorphism); 160 were unique RAPD strains and based on similarity coefficient = 80%, 22 isolates were clustered into 11 distinct clones. Conclusion: A high prevalence of blaIMP and blaNDM-1 among imipenem resistant isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is alarming that calls for proper control and prevention strategies. RAPD technique was found to be a good genotyping technique when limited resources are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Vascular anomalies are of two types: 1 Hemangiomas and 2 vascular malformations (VMs). Hemangiomas are apparent at birth but they may be noticed or become symptomatic later in neonatal life. The natural course of hemangioma is early proliferation during the first few years of life and regression in late childhood. They disappear usually by the age of 12 years. VMs, on the other hand, usually develop later in life and the size of the mass increases with age. An exclusive mesenteric vascular anomaly is a rare entity. Specifically, the incidence of VMs type of anomaly with osseous metaplasia is infrequent. In the available literature, two cases of abdominal vascular anomaly of hemangioma type have been reported. This case is being reported to alert clinicians to the wide variety of mesenteric and retroperitoneal masses and their varied presentation sometimes in emergencies like an acute abdomen or intestinal obstruction. The radiological signs may also be confusing at times as in this case where the radio-opaque shadow on an x-ray was mistaken for a phytobezoar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV-1 accessory protein Vif is required for neutralization of cellular restriction factor APOBEC3G through its ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation which allows replication of HIV-1 in non-permissive cells. This function of Vif is required for maintaining the genomic integrity of HIV-1. We here report that the Vif interacts with the cellular E3 ubiquitin ligase CHIP and the level of Vif protein gets reduced by the expression of CHIP. Reduction of Vif by CHIP expression is due to its increased rate of degradation as shown by cycloheximide (CHX) chase assay. CHIP expression also resulted in the ubiquitination of Vif protein in a dose dependent manner. The role of CHIP in the ubiquitination and degradation was confirmed by the endogenous knockdown of CHIP using CRISPR Cas9 method. Loss of endogenous CHIP protein showed the stabilization of Vif with concomitant destabilization of APOBEC3G. As expected Vif mediated ubiquitination of APOBEC3G was also reduced in CHIP knockdown cells. These results established that CHIP functions as a negative regulator of Vif protein which in-turn stabilizes APOBEC3G. • CHIP interacts with HIV-1 Vif and decreases its level in the host cell. • CHIP promotes ubiquitination of Vif protein. • Through Vif downregulation, CHIP promotes stabilization of viral restriction factor APOBEC3G. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To assess the level of depression, anxiety, and stress among infertile women and its relationship with the type of infertility and demographic attributes. METHODOLOGY: Observational study was conducted in the outpatient department of Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi from March to August 2020. Through the purposive sampling method; 200 infertile women whose ages were between 20 to 45 years and gave consent were included, and excluded those who had a history of psychiatric illness. DASS (42 items) was used to collect data, which infers 0 = no symptoms, and 3 = severe symptoms. Data were analyzed by using IBM SPSS version 21.0. Data were analyzed by using IBM SPSS version 21.0. Percentages and frequencies were provided to assess the categorical variables and the chi-square test was applied to analyze the relationship of level of depression, anxiety, and stress with infertility type and its association with demographic attributes. Pvalue <0.05 was used as statistically significant. RESULTS: Current study reported the highest percentage of the level of depression (Severe 58.2%), anxiety (Severe 57.3%), and stress (Severe 50.0%) which is significantly related to primary infertility. Age (0.008), household income (0.005), and emotional strain from family (0.001) indicated a significant association with the level of depression, anxiety, and stress. CONCLUSION: The highest level of depression, anxiety, and stress among primary infertility highlighted a significant relationship. Age, household income, and emotional strain were significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress of infertile women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study developed a bioaggregate reactor by using Pseudomonas strain GF2. The response surface method indicated that the optimal parameters were pH 7, a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6 h, and an initial nitrate concentration of 25 mg L−1. Nitrate removal reached a maximum of 99.19 % at a C/N ratio of 2. Gas chromatographic detection revealed that nitrogen gas was the main product (98.46 %). 3D fluorescence spectroscopy showed that, with increasing HRT, the amounts of fulvic acid‐like, tryptophan, and protein‐like substances increased, which were consistent with the change in microbial community. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the existence of OH, CH, C=O, and C=C. High‐throughput sequencing showed that Pseudomonas and Azospira were the dominant genera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For enhancing the moisture resistance properties of the commercial CaO, the surface of the CaO has been modified using various aliphatic and aromatic groups as modifiers. The binding of the modifiers onto the surface of the CaO is confirmed through the FTIR and XPS techniques. For the first time, these modified CaO catalysts have been employed to carry out the transesterification reaction of glycerol and dimethyl carbonate forming glycerol carbonate. Under the optimized reaction conditions, benzyl modified CaO catalyst showed better catalytic activity yielding 82 % glycerol carbonate with 100 % selectivity. The 0.5‐Ben/CaO catalyst is found to resist the presence of 5 wt% H2O content in the reaction due to the formation of hydrophobic layer by the benzyl functionalization over the CaO surface. The humidity test also reveals that the modified CaO showed better resistance to moisture adsorption than its native counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient parallel scheme based on the nodal discontinuous Galerkin finite element method (nodal-DGFEM) for the numerical solution of the partial differential equations governing fluid flow phenomena is discussed. The flow solver is demonstrated to perform numerical simulation of two-dimensional flow regimes on unstructured triangular grids. The parallel implementation serves to fulfill the requisition of the numerical method regarding high-performance computing resources. The distributed memory programming model with the domain decomposition approach is adopted. The message passing interface library is used for communication among the parallel processes, which are assigned domain-decomposed subproblems. The presented parallelization strategy accurately and efficiently tackles the communication of multi-node data on the element edges between the neighboring parallel processes. The efficacy and efficiency of the parallel solver are demonstrated through solving the well-known problem of non-viscous isentropic convecting vortex flow on parallel systems. The parallelization would extend the scope of the DGFEM by producing solutions in reasonable time frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article concerns heat transfer analysis in pulsating flow in a channel with walls having multiple symmetric constrictions. The flow is influenced by Lorentz force and thermal radiation. The unsteady governing equations, simplified for low conducting fluids, are solved by the finite difference method using the stream–vorticity function formulation. The effects of the emerging parameters, including the magnetic field parameter (Hartman number), Reynolds number, Prandtl number, and radiation parameter on various flow profiles, are studied. The profiles of dimensionless axial velocity, temperature, wall shear stress (WSS), skin friction coefficient, and local Nusselt number are discussed graphically. The profiles are examined at various prominent axial locations and time instants of the pulse cycle. The WSS has a direct relation with the Hartmann and Strouhal numbers. The WSS generated at the first constriction is higher than that at the second constriction. The WSS increases with an increase in the Strouhal number in the accelerating phase and decreases in the decelerating phase on both the constrictions. The temperature decreases with an increase in the Hartman and Prandtl numbers at the constricted portion of the channel. The radiation parameter directly affects the temperature and inversely affects the Nusselt number at the constricted part of the channel. However, in general, the flow profiles exhibit irregular patterns downstream of the constriction. The Nusselt profiles are higher at the first encountered constriction bump than that at the next bumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing analytical models (EAMs) are used to find the quality of service of optical networks with wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). However, the convergence of EAMs decreases with an increase in traffic load and the numbers of wavelength (w) channels. EAMs are used to compute approximated numerical values of blocking probabilities (BPs) which are based on an iterative approach. There are cases in EAMs when numerical BP values do not converge to a single point after numerous iterations. In this paper, the converge issues of EAMs have been addressed by considering a recursive approximation based on iterative approach with the convergence criteria which is called an advance approximated BP model (AABPM). The accuracy of the AABPM for WDM optical networks is examined by comparing with an EAM as well as simulation results which shows that AABPM converges to give similar approximated numerical values with less convergence time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethylene-propylene (EP) copolymerizations was carried out with two ansa-metallocene: rac-Me2Si(2-Me-4-Ph-Ind)2ZrCl2 (Mt-I) and rac-Et(Ind)2ZrCl2 (Mt-II) combined with borates activators like ([Me2NPh][B(C6F5)4] (Borate-I), [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4] (Borate-II). Different structures of alkylaluminum(triethylaluminium (TEA), triisobutylaluminium (TIBA) and TEA/TIBA mixture of 25/75, 50/50, 75/25 mol ratios were used as cocatalysts. The choice of ligand structure and, more importantly, the nature of the cocatalyst significantly impact these systems' activity and the polymeric materials' properties. Borate-II has been shown as giving higher activities than Borate-I with both ansa-metallocene, attending 5.6 × 106 g/mol Zr*h. Mt-I gives higher activities and molecular weight but produced copolymers with low ethylene content, melting points, and crystallinity than Mt-II. The activities were very close to each other with 100% TIBA. Still, Mt-I became more active than Mt-II when TEA was more than 25% in the cocatalyst system. The effects of alkylaluminiums catalysts cocatalyst on EP copolymer molecular weight (Mw) and molecular weight distribution (MWD) were much more complicated. The MWD curve changed from broad to narrow with Mt-I when TIBA was replaced by a different mole ratio of TEA/TIBA ratio. The technique used for the assessment of active centers [C*]/[Zr] fraction in the ansa-metallocene catalyst was quenched label by using 2-thiophenecarbonyl chloride (TPCC) to determine the effects of alkylaluminiums catalysts structure on the propagation rate constants (kP) of EP copolymers. The [C*]/[Zr] value of Mt-I/Borate-I/TIBA is lower than those of the Mt-I/Borate-I/TEA and Mt-I/Borate-I/TEA/TIBA system. The main differences appear between catalysts containing pure TIBA and those containing TEA, possibly due to the faster rate of chain transfer with Al—Et than with bulky Al—iBu. Adding TEA in metallocene/borate/alkylaluminiums catalysts catalysts can be applied as an effective method to regulate the molecular weight of EP copolymer with a high degree of activity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]