Effects of La and Ce Addition on the Modification of Al-Si Based Alloys

This study focuses on the effects of the addition of rare earth metals (mainly lanthanum and cerium) on the eutectic Si characteristics in Al-Si based alloys. Based on the solidification curves and microstructural examination of the corresponding alloys, it was found that addition of La or Ce increases the alloy melting temperature and the Al-Si eutectic temperature, with an Al-Si recalescence of 2-3°C, and the appearance of post-α-Al peaks attributed to precipitation of rare earth intermetallics. Addition of La or Ce to Al-(7–13)% Si causes only partial modification of the eutectic Si particles. Lanthanum has a high affinity to react with Sr, which weakens the modification efficiency of the latter. Cerium, however, has a high affinity for Ti, forming a large amount of sludge. Due to the large difference in the length of the eutectic Si particles in the same sample, the normal use of standard deviation in this case is meaningless

Evaluation of air-gap stacked capacitive antennas for lightning remote sensing

This paper evaluates the capacitive antenna performance (sensitivity and frequency shifting) as a lightning sensor in different antenna design structures. Two experiments were carried out, Experiment A - using two different structure antennas, an A3 size capacitive antenna and a quarter A4- sized capacitive antenna, capturing the electric field (E-field) generated by the small spark at a distance of 1 meter away from both antennas. The results were taken in a ratio form of the 1st pulse amplitude captured by quarter A4 size antenna verses 1st pulse amplitude of the waveform captured by A3 antenna for each corresponding spark. Same set up and measurement were taken during the Experiment B except for the quarter A4 size antenna was now being slotted with 6 copper plates were slotted within the gap between the top plate and bottom plate. The result from Experiment A showed an average ratio at 0.1957 with a range of 0.0333 to 0.3085 while the results of Experiment B showed the average value laid at 0.2606 within the range of 0.1581 to 0.4510. The comparison results of Experiment A with Experiment B gave an increment of the sensitivity of the quarter A4 antenna from no stack to fully stacked antenna. However, there was also a significant frequency shifting of the quarter A4 antenna with the change of antenna structure (15% for quarter A4 capacitive antenna without stack; 20% for quarter A4 stacked capacitive antenna)

Does Habitual Physical Activity Increase the Sensitivity of the Appetite Control System? A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: It has been proposed that habitual physical activity improves appetite control; however, the evidence has never been systematically reviewed. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether appetite control (e.g. subjective appetite, appetite-related peptides, food intake) differs according to levels of physical activity. DATA SOURCES: Medline, Embase and SPORTDiscus were searched for articles published between 1996 and 2015, using keywords pertaining to physical activity, appetite, food intake and appetite-related peptides. STUDY SELECTION: Articles were included if they involved healthy non-smoking adults (aged 18-64 years) participating in cross-sectional studies examining appetite control in active and inactive individuals; or before and after exercise training in previously inactive individuals. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS: Of 77 full-text articles assessed, 28 studies (14 cross-sectional; 14 exercise training) met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Appetite sensations and absolute energy intake did not differ consistently across studies. Active individuals had a greater ability to compensate for high-energy preloads through reductions in energy intake, in comparison with inactive controls. When physical activity level was graded across cross-sectional studies (low, medium, high, very high), a significant curvilinear effect on energy intake (z-scores) was observed. LIMITATIONS: Methodological issues existed concerning the small number of studies, lack of objective quantification of food intake, and various definitions used to define active and inactive individuals. CONCLUSION: Habitually active individuals showed improved compensation for the energy density of foods, but no consistent differences in appetite or absolute energy intake, in comparison with inactive individuals. This review supports a J-shaped relationship between physical activity level and energy intake. Further studies are required to confirm these findings. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42015019696

Analysis of fluid motion and heat transport on magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer past a vertical power law stretching sheet with hydrodynamic and thermal slip effects

The present model is committed to the study of MHD boundary layer flow and heat transfer past a nonlinear vertically stretching porous stretching sheet with the effects of hydrodynamic and thermal slip. The boundary value problem, consisting of boundary layer equations of motion and heat transfer, which are nonlinear partial differential equations are transformed into nonlinear ordinary differential equations, with the aid of similarity transformation. This problem has been solved, using Runge Kutta fourth order method with shooting technique. The effects of various physical parameters, such as, stretching parameter m, magnetic parameter M, porosity parameter fw, buoyancy parameter λ, Prandtl number Pr, Eckert number Ec, hydrodynamic slip parameter γ, and thermal slip parameter δ, on flow and heat transfer characteristics, are computed and represented graphically

Impact of Meal Timing and Chronotype on Food Reward and Appetite Control in Young Adults

Early meal timing and chronotype are associated with lower BMI, but their impact on appetite is poorly understood. We examined the impact of meal timing and chronotype on appetite and food reward. Forty-four adults were divided into early (EC; Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) score = 55 ± 5) or late chronotype (LC; MEQ score = 40 ± 6) and assessed for body mass index, habitual energy intake (EI; three-day online dietary record) and eating behavior traits from the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ). Participants attended the laboratory after ≥3 h fast on two occasions for early (AM; 8–10 a.m.) and late (PM; 4–6 p.m.) counterbalanced testing sessions in a 2 × 2 design. Appetite ratings and food reward (validated diurnal Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire) were measured in response to a standardized test meal. LC was associated with higher BMI (p = 0.01), but not with EI or TFEQ. The composite appetite score was lower in AM than PM (MΔ= −5 (95% CI −10, −0.2) mm, p = 0.040). Perceived test meal fillingness was higher in AM than PM and EC compared to LC (p ≤ 0.038). Liking and wanting high-fat food were lower in AM than PM (p ≤ 0.004). The late chronotype was associated with greater desire for high-fat food (p = 0.006). To conclude, early meal timing and early chronotype are independently associated with smaller appetite and lower desire for high-fat food

Kinase Inhibitors of Novel Pyridopyrimidinone Candidates: Synthesis and In Vitro Anticancer Properties

A new class of pyridopyrimidinone compounds containing different nitrogenous heterocycles were synthesized starting from the key precursor 2-hydrazinyl-5-phenyl-7-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one via condensation with series of aromatic aldehydes and cyclization using different reagents as ethyl acetoacetate, ethyl cyanoacetate, diethyl malonate, and ammonium isothiocyanate. The bioassay results showed compound 6 to be highly effective towards three human cancer cell lines (HepG2, PC-3, and HCT-116) in vitro with promising activity values (IC50: 0.5 μM) relative to the standard doxorubicin (IC50: 0.6 μM). Kinase inhibitory evaluation of compound 6 displays hopeful inhibitory action against BRAF V600E, EGFR, and PDGFRβ at100 μM. The molecular docking studies supported the initial kinase assay

Effect of Rare Earth Metals on the Microstructure of Al-Si Based Alloys

The present study was performed on A356 alloy [Al-7 wt %Si 0.0.35 wt %Mg]. To that La and Ce were added individually or combined up to 1.5 wt % each. The results show that these rare earth elements affect only the alloy melting temperature with no marked change in the temperature of Al-Si eutectic precipitation. Additionally, rare earth metals have no modification effect up to 1.5 wt %. In addition, La and Ce tend to react with Sr leading to modification degradation. In order to achieve noticeable modification of eutectic Si particles, the concentration of rare earth metals should exceed 1.5 wt %, which simultaneously results in the precipitation of a fairly large volume fraction of insoluble intermetallics. The precipitation of these complex intermetallics is expected to have a negative effect on the alloy performance

Structural Analysis and Reactivity Insights of (<i>E</i>)-Bromo-4-((4-((1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethylidene)amino)-5-phenyl-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)-5-((2-isopropylcyclohexyl)oxy) Furan-2(5H)-one: A Combined Approach Using Single-Crystal X-ray Diffraction, Hirshfeld Surface Analysis, and Conceptual Density Functional Theory

This study presents a comprehensive exploration of the structure–reactivity relationship of (E)-3-bromo-4-((4-((1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethylidene)amino)-5-phenyl-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)-5-((2-isopropylcyclohexyl)oxy)furan-2(5H)-one. The study embarked on an in-depth investigation into the solid-state crystal structure of this organic compound, employing computational Density Functional Theory (DFT) and related methodologies, which have not extensively been used in the examination of such compounds. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) analysis was initially performed, supplemented by a Hirshfeld surfaces analysis. This latter approach was instrumental in visualizing and quantifying intermolecular interactions within the crystal structures, offering a detailed representation of the molecule’s shape and properties within its crystalline environment. The concept of energy framework calculations was utilized to understand the varied types of energies contributing to the supramolecular architecture of the molecules within the crystal. The Conceptual DFT (CDFT) was applied to predict global reactivity descriptors and local nucleophilic/electrophilic Parr functions, providing a deeper understanding of the compound’s chemical reactivity properties. The aromatic character and π–π stacking ability were also evaluated with the help of LOLIPOP and ring aromaticity measures. This comprehensive approach not only provides a detailed description of the structure and properties of the investigated compound but also offers valuable insights into the design and development of new materials involving 1,2,4-triazole systems

Mechanistic interaction study of 5,6-Dichloro-2-[2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl]isoindoline-1,3-dione with bovine serum albumin by spectroscopic and molecular docking approaches

A synthesized and promising biologically hypoglycemic compound 5,6-Dichloro-2-[2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl]isoindoline-1,3-dione (5e) was studied for its binding to a model protein (bovine serum albumin; BSA) by spectroscopic and molecular simulation approaches. Fluorescence studies revealed that 5e quenched BSA’s intrinsic fluorescence by static quenching. The experiments were performed at three different temperatures and the quenching constants and binding constants were evaluated. Stern-Volmer constant (Ksv) values decreased from 1.36 × 104 to 1.20 × 104 as the temperature increased suggesting static quenching involvement in the interaction. Decreased binding constants from 1.70 × 104 to 4.57 × 103 at higher temperatures indicated instability of the complex at rising temperatures. Site I (subdomain IIA) of BSA was found to interact with 5e. The thermodynamic results showed the binding interaction was spontaneous and enthalpy driven. The secondary structure alterations in BSA due to interaction with 5e were studied by UV–visible, synchronous fluorescence, and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra. The results indicate the 5e binds effectively to the BSA and thus, this study can be useful in further exploring the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of 5e. Keywords: BSA, Thermodynamics, Docking, Fluorescence quenching, Spectroscop