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Hybrid polymer nanocomposite is embraced with natural fiber, promising applications because of better flexural strength, water resistance, lower moisture absorption, and extended life span. Besides, it faces the difficulties of poor adhesive quality and larger moisture absorption nature outcomes, as well as a lack of composite performance. The novel work is to synthesize the hybrid high-density polyethylene (HDPE) nanocomposite by the adaptations of 20 vol% chopped bast fiber, and 2, 4, and 6 vol% of nano-alumina (Al2O3) particles through hand layup aided thermal compression route, and its absorption of moisture, tensile strength, and hardness is measured. The hybrid high-density polyethylene nanocomposite primed with 20 vol% bast fiber and 6 vol% nano-Al2O3attained a low moisture absorption percentage (7 ± 0.2%), a high tensile strength of 48 ± 2 MPa, and better hardness of 45 ± 0.2 HV, which are greater than the HDPE without bast fiber and nano-Al2O3particles.

Hylocereus costaricensisWeb. (pink pulp dragon fruit) is a commercially important nutri-rich fruit crop of tropical and subtropical regions as it is a treasure of antioxidants and dietary fiber with a low glycemic index. Although the morphological descriptions of the white pulp (H. undatusHaworth) and red pulp (H. polyrhizusWeb.) dragon fruits have been recorded using the BBCH scale, there is little knowledge about the phenology of the pink pulp dragon fruit, Hylocereus costaricensis(Web.) Britton and Rose. The extended BBCH scale is used in the current study to establish codes and phenological stages of pink pulp dragon fruit. This three-digit number system helps to standardize its phenological stages. Seven main growth phases have been identified: bud initiation (stage 0), shoot development (stage 3), development of primary shoots (stage 4), floral bud initiation (stage 5), flowering (stage 6), fruit development (stage 7) and fruit maturity and harvest (stage 8). There are now 40 distinct secondary growth stages that have been defined and documented. Because it describes all the phenophases related to vegetative and reproductive phases of dragon fruit, the enlarged BBCH scale is widely relevant. The scale can be used for the characterization of germplasm and to assess the effect of climate change on the phenology of dragon fruit. This important phenological stage scale may be utilized in growth, development and physiological studies besides usage in calculating heat unit requirements for different phenological stages. This BBCH scale can be utilized for effective management of orchards, standardization of propagation methods, intercultural operations, water and nutrition management, judging maturity standards for harvest, post-harvest shelf life and integrated pest and disease management.

Geopolymers are an inorganic cementitious material that is gaining attention for its exceptional mechanical qualities, strong thermal resistance, and low dielectric properties. However, the brittle failure and low ductility of geopolymers limit their use in load-bearing or structural applications. To overcome this challenge, the present work focused on improving the physico-mechanical, water, and thermal resistance properties of geopolymers by reinforcing untreated and alkali-treated (5, 10, and 15% concentrations) Phoenixsp. fibers. The outcomes revealed that the incorporation of Phoenixsp. fibers improved the performance of the geopolymer. In particular, the geopolymer reinforced with 10% alkali-treated fibers showed substantial improvement in their characteristics. The microstructural investigation demonstrated that the treated fibers formed a good interfacial bond with the geopolymers. In addition, load–deflection tests were conducted to examine the viability of the Phoenixsp. fiber–based geopolymer composites for structural applications. The findings of this study indicate that using alkali Phoenixsp. fibers as a fibrous material in the manufacturing of ecologically friendly and durable geopolymer concrete has a promising future in the construction sector.

Natural fiber-developed composites possess a great potential for automotive panel applications because of their low specific weight, strength, and ease of recycling. Besides, these composites lack adhesive behavior and limited tensile and elongation behavior. The exploration of the current investigation is to produce the epoxy nanocomposite enclosures with 20 vol% of natural sisal fiber (5% NaOH treated) and its 3, 6, and 9 volume percentages of nano-silicon carbide (SiC) particles through thermally assisted injection molding route. The functional qualities of the hybrid epoxy composite are measured and related to epoxy composite manufactured by 20 vol% natural sisal fiber (SF). It outputs experimental values of hybrid epoxy nanocomposite (epoxy/20 vol% SF/6 vol% SiC) exploited with excellent tensile stress of 54 MPa associated with 18% elongation percentage as well as maximum flexural strength of 76 MPa and greater than the measured value of epoxy composite with 20 vol% of SF.

This study is aimed at optimising the reaction parameters involved in transesterification of Mixed Non-edible Oil (rubber seed oil–fish oil) feedstock using response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN). The reaction parameters such as the methanol-to-oil molar ratio (M:O), catalyst concentration (CC), reaction temperature (Rt) and the reaction time (RT) were investigated on biodiesel samples. The reaction process was optimised with a M:O of 7.5:1; a CC of 1.25 wt. %; Rt of 57.5°C and RT of 75 min with an optimum volumetric yield of 91.5 v/v%. The model attained from the results of analysis of variance indicates that the model developed was significant. A very small value of p(<0.0001) represents the strong correlation among biodiesel yield and model variables. Also, the R2values obtained from RSM and ANN were found to be 0.9918 and 0.8941 which indicates that model developed was fit and satisfactory with the actual experimental values. The fuel properties and FTIR analysis of biodiesel obtained with optimised conditions demonstrated its appropriateness as an alternative fuel for diesel engines.

This paper presents a computational method to investigate cooling performance of NASA-C3X cascade vane coated with thermal barrier coating (TBC), for which experimental data are available. The vane was cooled internally by air flows through radially oriented 10 channels. A three-dimensional conjugate heat transfer simulation has been performed which allows the conduction-convection on metal vane by eliminating need of multiple boundary solutions. The predicted aerodynamic and thermal loads with the effect of turbulent intensity is found to be good agreement with experimental data and inclusion of TBC leads to quantitative reduction in vane metal temperature.

In order to further the use of clean energy, the transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) was initiated globally. In the coming days, there will be a need for more EV charging stations in rural and commercial areas. The installation of new charging infrastructure for different vehicles with different voltage specifications in order to charge batteries are expensive with limited availability. Also fast charging is not possible in rural areas. To overcome this issue, the battery swapping station is a good option. In this paper, a new solar-powered dual-phase CLLC DC–DC resonant converter is proposed to test battery swapping. An equivalent circuit has been derived analytically, and the optimal design of the magnetic components for the proposed converter has been derived. Simulation has been carried out for the proposed system. The proposed system was tested with a prototype set-up of a 100 W lithium-ion battery bank of equal and unequal voltage levels in an open-loop condition using Analog Discovery-2. Introducing the H6 concept in the proposed converter has the features of low stress across switches, use of higher dc grid voltage, low switching losses due to the dual phase resonant compensation network, and a multi-port isolated output system. Apart from battery swapping applications it can be utilized for Energy Storage Solution [ESS].

The proposed research explores Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube’s (MWCNT’s) effect on the mechanical buckling behavior of glass fiber-enhanced thermosetting composites using UTM and the load vs displacement curve is plotted. Using the inflection point method, the critical buckling load is obtained from the load vs displacement curve for beams with three different volume fractions of MWCNT. The nonlinear finite element method is used to numerically obtain the load vs deflection curve and the numerical results are compared with the experimental results, and a close match is found with the experimental results. It is observed that the nonlinearity associated with the structure can significantly reduce the critical buckling load. The critical buckling load is found to increase and reported a 27.4% increase in buckling load with 0.3 wt.% of MWCNT which could be accounted for the increase in flexural modulus of the material.

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral illness associated with chronic arthritic symptoms that persist for months. The IgM antibody appears within a week post any infection and declines at 2–3 months. The present study was aimed to demonstrate the presence of specific IgM antibody among chikungunya confirmed cases. Blood samples were collected from chikungunya PCR positive patients at the time of diagnosis, at 1-week, 1, 8, 10 and 12 months post infection. All acute and follow-up serum samples were evaluated for chikungunya virus-specific IgM antibodies using ELISA technique. Our findings indicate the persistence of anti-chikungunya IgM up to 10-months post-infection in a majority of chikungunya virus infected persons. Interpretation of results should be carefully done as only IgM ELISA is used to diagnose acute infection, especially post chikungunya outbreak. The presence of IgM antibody does not rule out the absence of any other diagnosis due to its persistence. Thus, we hypothesize that real-time PCR is more reliable for the detection of acute chikungunya cases in endemic areas while IgM detection may be useful in identifying exposure to this disease.

A low stacking fault energy material is subjected to warm working as well as hot working, i.e. in the temperature range 873 K (600 °C)–1173 K (900 °C). The evolution of microstructure is quantified using average grain size and grain size distributions. The microstructural transitions resulting from continuous dynamic recrystallization and discontinuous dynamic recrystallization are examined. The resultant softening is studied using macro- and micro-indentation experiments. The applicability of empirical relations between hardness and microstructural parameters is critically examined. The SFE at each of these temperatures is evaluated using a thermodynamic model and correlated with the softening mechanism.

The use of the high viscous biofuel results in poor combustion efficiency. Utilization of the biofuel on the existing engine is challenging due to the higher fuel pump force requirement and atomization effects. Hence, in this study, the spray characteristics have been examined in addition to the typical combustion and emission characteristics. In general, spray properties changes are based on the viscosity of the fuel used. Utilizing the higher viscous fluid in the engine creates havoc on liquid penetration and vapor penetration. A series of tests was conducted in the single-cylinder four-stroke diesel engine fuelled with Jatropha Curcas. The biodiesel blends were prepared at three different combinations of 10%, 20%, and 30% dispersed with the Fe2O3 nanoparticles at 50 ppm to form JF10 (10% blend + 90% diesel with 50 ppm of Fe2O3), JF20 (20% blend + 80% diesel with 50 ppm of Fe2O3), and JF30 (30% blend + 70% diesel with 50 ppm of Fe2O3). Based on the previous study observation, adding the blends affects the both combustion and performance of the engine which is counteracted in this study by adding the nanoparticles to the blends. From the obtained results, it is proved that the addition of nanoparticles increases the engine performance and emission characteristics. To be precise, the brake thermal efficiency has been improvised by 4% for the JF10 compared to neat diesel. With regard to emissions, a massive reduction in CO and NOx has been observed. To understand the quality of combustion, the fluid spray simulation has been carried out. A set of numerical simulations were done using the particle droplet analysis with the aid of star ccm+ and found that injection pressure and ambient pressure are the key responsible parameters for increasing the combustion efficiency of the system. On the other hand, the liquid length of blended fuel is another key factor that affects the atomization process. Furthermore, the high injection pressure reduces the spray cone angle for biodiesel by achieving high mixing rates.

Once the recommended 5-year recurrence-free follow-up is achieved for cervical cancers regular annual pelvic examination is mandatory. The main aim of presenting this short report is to emphasize the difficulties in the collection and interpretation of cytology samples from stenosed cervix or vault after pelvic irradiation. Radiotherapy can induce changes in the cellular morphology which may persist for many years. A 64-year old post-menopausal lady who had received radiation therapy 32 years back for cervical carcinoma stage IIb presented to the Gynecology outpatient department with vaginal spotting. Even though the patient was under regular follow-up for the initial 2 years, she was lost to further follow-ups. The patient was symptom-free except for one episode of spotting in August 2016 and the histopathological examination of the vault smear had ruled out malignancy. However, 1 month later she again presented with spotting and pelvic examination revealed a warty growth at the lateral vaginal wall. The tissue excision biopsy was tested positive for HPV-16 DNA and the histopathology confirmed vaginal squamous cell carcinoma. The association of human papilloma virus (HPV) in cervical cancers was well established and these patients manifest a higher risk of HPV-induced vaginal cancers. HPV DNA testing during follow-up may facilitate early recognition of HPV-related lower genital tract cancers.

Adenoviruses are found to be associated with a wide range of diseases in children and adults. There is little data available on the circulating serotypes of Human Adenoviruses (HAdVs) in the southwest region of India. In this study, we explore the molecular epidemiology of HAdVs circulating in southwest India. Twenty-three samples (Adenovirus PCR positive), collected between January 2011 and March 2013, have been typed based on the partial hexon gene sequence and phylogenetic analysis. The commonest serotypes were HAdV-3 and HAdV-2. The other serotypes were HAdV-7, HAdV-1, HAdV-8 and HAdV-40. Respiratory illness was the most common clinical manifestation of HAdV-3, HAdV-2 and HAdV-7 serotypes. HAdV-3, HAdV-7 and HAdV-8 were found to cause conjunctivitis, whereas HAdV-1, HAdV-2 and HAdV-3 caused encephalitis. In conclusion, this study documents the circulating HAdV strains and the epidemiology in southwest India. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the molecular epidemiology of HAdVs in India.

n this study, the performance and exhaust emissions of a biodiesel fuelled low heat rejection (LHR) direct injection Diesel engine have been investigated experimentally and compared with the results of standard diesel engine without any coatings. Piston, cylinder head, exhaust and inlet valve of test engine were coated with 0.5 mm thickness of zirconia through plasma spray method. Biodiesel used in the testing was prepared from rice bran oil through transesterification process.

Isolated chylopericardium due to cystic lymphangioma of pericardium is a rare entity. We report a case of asymptomatic chylopericardium in a young male who presented with cardiomegaly. Echocardiography revealed massive pericardial effusion without tamponade. Pericardiocentesis yielded 1.25 L of tea-colored fluid which showed triglyceride level of 1723 mg/dL and cholesterol of 1021 mg/dL with a cholesterol to triglyceride ratio of <1, characteristic of chylous fluid. Lymphoscintigraphy using 99Tc demonstrated lymphatic leak around the heart region. Fusion of MRI images with lymphoscintigraphy was taken with a view of localizing the leak site; it demonstrated enhancement in the pericardial space. Surgery was done via right lateral thoracotomy. Thoracic duct was ligated above diaphragm and pericardial window created by anterior pericardiectomy. The patient had an uneventful recovery and was well after 6 months of follow up. Pericardial biopsy showed cystic lymphangioma of pericardium.

Sino-orbital aspergillosis in a 61-year-old male with uncontrolled non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus presented with three months history of left ear pain, left side headache with mucopurulent nasal discharge and one week history of progressive swelling and pain with difficulty in opening of the left eye and sudden loss of vision. In spite of surgical debridement and medical management with amphotericin B and itraconazole his visual outcome was poor and the infection was unabated at one month follow up.

As the fossil fuels are depleting day by day, the use of renewable energy sources came into existence and they evolved a lot lately. To increase efficiency and productivity in the hybrid vehicles, the existence less efficient petroleum and diesel IC engines need to be replaced with the new and efficient converters with renewable energy sources. This has to be done in such a way that impacts three factors mainly: cost, efficiency and reliability. The PHEVs that have been launched and the upcoming PHEVs using converters with voltage range around 380V to 400V generated with power ranges between 2.4KW to 2.8KW. The basic motto of this paper is to design a prolific converter while considering the factor such as cost and size. In this paper, a two stage DC-DC converter is proposed and the proposed DC-DC converter is utilized to endeavour voltage from 24V (photovoltaic source) to a yield voltage of 400V and to meet the power demand of 250W, since only one panel is being used for this proposed paper. This paper discuss in detail about why and how the current fed DC-DC converter is utilized along with a voltage doubler, thus reducing transformer turns and thereby reducing overall size of the product. Simulation and hardware results have been presented along with calculations for duty cycle required for firing sequence for different values of transformer turns.

In this paper a current fed interleaved DC - DC boost converter which has an isolated topology and used for high voltage step up is proposed. A basic DC to DC boost converter converts uncontrolled DC voltage into controlled DC voltage of higher magnitude. Whereas this topology has the advantages of lower input current ripple, lesser output voltage, lesser stress on switches, faster transient response, improved reliability and much lesser electromagnetic emission over the conventional DC to DC boost converter. Most important benefit of this interleaved DC to DC boost converter is much higher efficiency. The input current is divided into two paths, substantially ohmic loss (I2R) and inductor ac loss gets reduced and finally the system achieves much higher efficiency. With recent mandates on energy saving interleaved DC to DC boost converter may be used as a very powerful tool to maintain good power density keeping the input current manageable. Higher efficiency also allows higher switching frequency and as a result the topology becomes more compact and cost friendly. The proposed topology boosts 48v DC to 200 V DC. Switching frequency is 100 kHz and PSIM 9.1 Platform has been used for the simulation.

With the current rate of depletion of the fossil fuel the need to switch on to the renewable energy sources is the need of the hour. Thus the need for new and efficient converters arises so as to replace the existing less efficient diesel and petroleum IC engines with renewable energy sources. The PHEVs, which have been launched in the market, and Upcoming PHEVs have converters around 380V to 400V generated with a power range between 2KW to 2.8KW. The fundamental target of this paper is to plan a productive converter keeping in mind cost and size restriction. In this paper, a two-stage dc-dc converter is proposed. The proposed converter is utilized to venture up a voltage from 24V (photovoltaic source) to a yield voltage of 400V to take care of a power demand of 2.4kW for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) application considering the real time scenario of PHEV. This paper talks about in detail why the current fed converter is utilized alongside a voltage doubler thus minimizing the transformer turns thereby reducing the overall size of the final product. Simulation results along with calculation for the duty cycle of the firing sequence for different value of transformer turns are presented for a prototype unit.

This work involves designing and simulation of a PV source based high voltage gain, current fed converter. It deals with an isolated DC-DC converter which utilizes boost converter topology. The proposed converter is capable of high voltage gain and above all have very high efficiency levels as proved by the simulation results. The project intends to produce an output of 800 V dc from a 48 V dc input. The simulation results obtained from PSIM application interface were used to analyze the performance of the proposed converter. Transformer used in the circuit steps up the voltage as well as to provide electrical isolation between the low voltage and high voltage side. Since the converter involves high switching frequency of 100 kHz, ultrafast recovery diodes are employed in the circuitry. The major application of the project is for future modeling of solar powered electric hybrid cars.

Transportation (Diesel and petrol internal combustion engine vehicles) approximately contributes to 25.5% of total CO2 emission. Thus diesel and petrol engine vehicles are the most dominant contributors of CO2 emission which leads global warming which causes climate change. The problem of CO2 emission and global warming can be reduced by focusing on renewable energy vehicles. Out of the available renewable energy sources fuel cell is the only source which has reasonable efficiency and can be used in vehicles. But the main disadvantage of fuel cell is its slow response time. So energy storage systems like batteries and super capacitors are used in parallel with the fuel cell. Fuel cell is used during steady state vehicle operation while during transient conditions like starting, acceleration and braking batteries and super capacitors can supply or absorb energy. In this paper a unidirectional fuel cell DC-DC converter and bidirectional energy storage system DC-DC converter is proposed, which can interface dc sources at different voltage levels to the dc bus and also it can independently control the power flow from each energy source to the dc bus and vice versa. The proposed converters are designed and simulated using PSIM version 9.1.1 and gate pulse pattern, input and output voltage waveforms of the converters for steady state operation are studied.

This paper presents 34 to 36 volts. SEPIC converter for solar fed applications. Now days, there has been tremendous increase in the usage of solar energy and this solar energy is most valuable energy source available all around the world. The solar energy system require a Dc-Dc converter in order to modulate and govern the changing output of the panel. In this paper, a system comprising of Single Ended Primary Inductance Converter [SEPIC] integrated with solar panel is proposed. This paper proposes SEPIC power converter design that will secure high performance and cost efficiency while powering up a LAMP load. This power converter designed with low output ripple voltage, higher efficiency and less electrical pressure on the power switching elements. The simulation and prototype hardware results are presented in this paper.

More than fifty percent Indian population do not have access to electricity in daily lives. The distance between the power generating stations and the distribution centers forms one of the main reasons for lack of electrification in rural and remote areas. Here lies the importance of decentralization of power generation through renewable energy resources. In the present world, electricity is predominantly powered by alternating current, but most day to day devices like LED lamps, computers and electrical vehicles, all run on DC power. By directly supplying DC to these loads, the number of power conversion stages was reduced, and overall system efficiency increases. Replacing existing AC network with DC is a humongous task, but with power electronic techniques, this project intends to implement DC grid at a household level in remote and rural areas. Proposed work was designed and simulated successfully for various loads amounting to 250 W through appropriate power electronic convertors. Maximum utilization of the renewable sources for domestic and commercial application was achieved with the proposed DC topology.

The need for Renewable Energy Sources (RES) is increasing due to increased demand for the supply of power and it is also environment friendly.In the recent few years, the cost of generation of the power from the RES has been decreased. This paper aims to design the front end power converter which is required for integrating the fuel cells and solar power sources to the micro grid. The simulation of the designed front end converter is carried out in the PSIM 9.1.1 software. The results show that the designed front end power converter is sufficient for integrating the micro grid with fuel cells and solar power sources.