Electrospun Ta-MOF/PEBA Nanohybrids and Their CH4 Adsorption Application

For the first time, biocompatible and biodegradable Ta-metal organic framework (MOF)/polyether block amide (PEBA) fibrous polymeric nanostructures were synthesized by ultrasonic and electrospinning routes in this study. The XRD peaks of products were wider, which is due to the significant effect of the ultrasonic and electrospinning methods on the final product. The adsorption/desorption behavior of the nanostructures is similar to that of the third type of isotherm series, which showed mesoporous behavior for the products. The sample has uniform morphology without any evidence of agglomeration. Since the adsorption and trapping of gaseous pollutants are very important, the application of the final Ta-MOF/PEBA fibrous polymeric nanostructures was investigated for CH4 adsorption. In order to achieve the optimal conditions of experiments and also systematic studies of the parameters, fractional factorial design was used. The results showed that by selecting temperature 40°C, time duration 35 min, and pressure 3 bar, the CH4 gas adsorption rate was near 4 mmol/g. Ultrasonic and electrospinning routes as well as immobilization of Ta-MOF in the PEBA fibrous network affect the performance of the final products for CH4 gas adsorption

Multiple Intelligences of Students with Learning Disabilities: Its Implication for Business Curriculum Development in United Arab Emirates

AbstractOne of the challenging issues in the educational parlance is learning disabilities. The study was conducted to modify business curriculum for students with in selected learning institutions in United Arab Emirates. Descriptive method/qualitative approach using observation and interview schedule techniques were employed in data gathering and analysis of population (n=125) of which female students comprised of twenty percent (20%) and males were eighty percent (80%). It was observed that one major struggle that learning facilitators had, how to effectively carry out the learning process with meaningful results and keeping in sight the existence of students from different nationalities. The research findings revealed that students needed updated instructional materials and the universities should modify the business curriculum for students with multiple intelligences. Curriculum modification was not limited to instructional modification or content modification but included a continuum of a wide range of modified educational components in business .On the bases of findings and conclusions derived from the study, and in consideration of the limitations of the study, the following were recommended: curriculum development/modification in business courses offerings,training of personnel, training of faculty needed to have a compulsory component in “teaching and assessing learners with learning challenges”. Similar in-service training was also needed for the already practicing faculty .Further, there was a clear manifestation of lack of resources in learning institutions where special students were found, modified curriculum and differentiated instruction materials for students’ with multiple intelligences must be introduced

Improving the Melting Duration of a PV/PCM System Integrated with Different Metal Foam Configurations for Thermal Energy Management

The melting duration in the photovoltaic/phase-change material (PV/PCM) system is a crucial parameter for thermal energy management such that its improvement can realize better energy management in respect to thermal storage capabilities, thermal conditions, and the lifespan of PV modules. An innovative and efficient technique for improving the melting duration is the inclusion of an exterior metal foam layer in the PV/PCM system. For detailed investigations of utilizing different metal foam configurations in terms of their convective heat transfer coefficients, the present paper proposes a newly developed mathematical model for the PV/PCM–metal foam assembly that can readily be implemented with a wide range of operating conditions. Both computational fluid dynamic (CFD) and experimental validations proved the good accuracy of the proposed model for further applications. The present research found that the average PV cell temperature can be reduced by about 12 °C with a corresponding improvement in PCM melting duration of 127%. The addition of the metal foam is more effective at low solar radiation, ambient temperatures far below the PCM solidus temperature, and high wind speeds in nonlinear extension. With increasing of tilt angle, the PCM melting duration is linearly decreased by an average value of (13.4–25.0)% when the metal foam convective heat transfer coefficient is changed in the range of (0.5–20) W/m2.K. The present research also shows that the PCM thickness has a positive linear effect on the PCM melting duration, however, modifying the metal foam configuration from 0.5 to 20 W/m2.K has an effect on the PCM melting duration in such a way that the average PCM melting duration is doubled. This confirms the effectiveness of the inclusion of metal foam in the PV/PCM system

Anti-inflammatory effect of functionalized sulfasalazine boron nitride nanocages on cardiovascular disease and breast cancer: An in-silico simulation

The objective of this research work is to investigate the ability of sulfasalazine (as an anti-cytokine drug) functionalized B16N16, B15GeN16 and B15SiN16 nanocages to treat inflammatory cardiovascular disease and breast cancer in comparison with the pure sulfasalazine (SSZ). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations at PBE1 functional were used to investigate the structural, electronic and spectral properties of sulfasalazine decorated B16N16, B15GeN16 and B15SiN16 nanocages. The most stable state was obtained on adsorption of SSZ over B16N16, B15GeN16 and B15SiN16 nanocages via its pyridine ring. Also, the adsorption of SSZ through SO2 group over B16N16, B16GeN16 and B16SiN16 nanocages causes the lower binding energy and the increment of dipole moment as both factors can lead to increased sensitivity of the B16GeN16 nanocage to the drug. Molecular docking simulation illustrates that the interaction of SSZ via its pyridine ring with B15GeN16 gives the best binding affinity and inhibition potential of HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) and TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-alpha) whereas interaction of -SO2 group with B16N16 gives the best binding affinity and inhibition potential of COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2) and IL-1 (Interleukin-1) receptors. The predicted results demonstrated that SSZ/B16N16 and SSZ/B16GeN16 complexes can serve as a promising and preventive agent for inflammatory cardiovascular disease and breast cancer. © 2022 Elsevier B.V