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1 | INTRODUCTION As the opioid crisis re-intensifies, (1) the potential for fraudulent, wasteful, or abusive substance use disorder (SUD) treatment practices increases. Unethical SUD treatment practices include conducting or [...]

Real-time oil temperature monitoring in hydraulic systems is challenging and needs robust technology to survive the noisy environment. In this work, the performance of shape memory alloy (SMA)-coated single-mode optical fiber has been investigated for in situ oil temperature monitoring. With the increase in oil temperature, significant optical intensity changes have been recorded within the phase-transition range of SMA. An accuracy of ±1.351 and a sensitivity of 16 mV/°C have been obtained with good precision. The influence of coating thickness was analyzed, and improved results were obtained for thick sample. Moreover, the impact of oil viscosity has been explored by considering the mineral, edible, and hydraulic oil for testing. The sensitivity was not much affected by the oil viscosity; however, the accuracy was reduced in the less viscous mineral oil. The technology proposed is robust and can leverage the oil monitoring with remote sensing capabilities at low cost and easy employability.

Transmission line towers designed based on the provisions of different standards may fail during mandatory testing for many reasons. Two different types of premature failures observed during full-scale testing at Tower Testing and Research Station, Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai (CSIR-SERC), are studied in this paper. These towers failed prematurely due to improper design assumptions secondary to the primary bracing connection. The failures are modelled using general-purpose finite element software. The test and analytical results are compared with various codal provisions. Hip bracing connected to primary bracing with a single bolt acts as a hinge and fails to provide adequate restraint. The assumption that hip bracing provides restraint to the primary bracing against the in-plane deformation is invalid, and it can only prevent the primary member’s displacement along the hip’s axis due to its axial stiffness. This study recommends a double bolt connection for redundant members.

Purpose: Ionizing radiation-based technologies are extensively used in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. While utilizing the technologies, exposure to a certain amount of radiation is unavoidable. Data can be obtained from participants who received radiation during medical imaging and therapeutic purposes to predict the effects of low-dose radiation. Methods: To understand the effects of low-dose radiation, participants (n= 22) who received radioactive I-131 for scan/therapy were used as a model in this study. Blood samples were drawn pre- and post-administration of I-131. Biological effects were measured using markers of DNA damage (γ-H2AX, micronucleus (MN), and chromosomal aberrations (CA)) and response to damage through gene expression changes (ATM,CDKN1A,DDB2,FDXR, and PCNA) in blood samples. Results: Mean frequency of γ-H2AX foci in pre-samples was 0.28 ± 0.16, and post-samples were 1.03 ± 0.60. γ-H2AX foci frequency obtained from post-samples showed significant (p< 0.0001) and a heterogeneous increase in all the participants (received I-131 for scan/therapy) when compared to pre-samples. A significant increase (p< 0.0001) in MN and CA frequency was also observed in participants who received the I-131 therapy. Gene expression analysis indicates that all genes (ATM,CDKN1A,DDB2,FDXR, and PCNA) were altered in post-samples, although with varying degrees, suggesting that the cellular responses to DNA damage, such as damage repair, cell cycle regulation to aid in repair and apoptosis are increased, which priority is given to repair, followed by apoptosis. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the participants who received I-131 (low doses of β- and γ-radiation) can produce substantial biological effects.

The inevitable shift toward renewable energy and electrification necessitates earth-abundant sodium reserves for next-generation Na-based energy storage technologies. By coupling the benefits of solid electrolytes over traditional nonaqueous electrolytes due to their safety hazards, solid-state sodium-ion batteries hold huge prospects in the future. This work presents a comprehensively developed solid-state sodium-ion symmetric full cell operating at room temperature enabled through a poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP)-based polymer electrolyte and modified NASICON-structured positive and negative electrodes. Among the investigated polymer electrolytes, PVDF-HFP-NaTFSI was found to outperform other counterparts by achieving a higher ionic conductivity and delivered an appreciable electrochemical stability window. By further delving into the properties of PVDF-HFP-NaTFSI, it was found to possess the least crystallinity, minimal porous structure, lowest melting point, and fusion enthalpy, indicating better ion transport than other investigated polymer electrolytes. The as-assembled solid-state battery revealed a storage capacity of 74 mAh g–1at 0.1 C with a specific energy density of 130 Wh kgcathode_active_material–1and demonstrated an impressive capacity retention of 84% of the initial capacity after 200 cycles. The structure and morphology retention of the cycled electrode and electrolyte through postmortem analysis bolster the electrochemo-mechanical stability of the developed solid cell. The findings reported here on polymer electrolytes persuade expedient solutions for developing ambient temperature solid-state sodium-ion batteries with promising electrochemical performance for commercialization in the near future.

Pure zirconium oxides have a wide band gap energy with poor electronic conduction, leading to the limitations of potential applications in various fields. Attempts were made to synthesize biphasic zirconium oxides with three different levels of carbon doping to study and improve the electronic conductivity, tune the band gap, and investigating their energy storage capability. Carbon-doped zirconium oxides with a biphasic nature were prepared by the coprecipitation method using poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) as a carbon source mixed with a stoichiometry amount of the zirconium precursor, followed by annealing at three different temperatures, 100, 300, and 500 °C, resulting in three different samples, namely, C-ZO1, C-ZO2, and C-ZO3, respectively. The crystal structure, elemental, micro-structural, optical, room temperature dielectric, and electrochemical properties were studied and reported. Crystallographic information from X-ray diffraction and high resolution electron diffraction showed that all samples are biphasic (monoclinic and tetragonal) nanocrystalline materials, Raman and FT-IR studies also support the claim. The sample crystallinity improved with the increasing annealing temperatures, whereas X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results exposed carbon content and oxygen compositions vary inversely with annealing temperatures. The optical band gap measurement results showed that all samples have an indirect band gap. Room-temperature dielectric studies showed a higher dielectric constant for C-ZO3 samples compared to the other two samples. The electrochemical studies confirmed that all materials showed Faradaic pseudocapacitive behavior and good stability up to 1000 cycles, having retention up to ∼85% and above. Power density is equal for all three samples, whereas higher energy density was obtained for C-ZO3 samples. This concluded that the biphasic zirconium oxide with composition Zr0.91C0.09O1.21showed superior electrochemical and dielectric behavior, which will find potential application as energy storage devices.

AbstractThis research article was investigates the Prussian blue dye removal from aqueous solution using immobilized nano ferrite (Zn-Co-Fe) in alginate biopolymer. The preparation of alginate beads was done by metal encapsulation method using CaSO4as crosslinking agent. The Prussian blue dye removal efficiency was ascertained with various isotherm equations such as Langmuir and Freundlich. Isotherm equations are not providing physical, chemical and feasibility aspects. So, these were investigated with pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order kinetic equations. The mode of diffusion evaluated with intraparticle diffusion and thermodynamic feasibility was tested with the equations of enthalpy, Gibbs free energy, and entropy. The experimentally driven results were implies the Prussian blue removal process was feasible in all aspects. Moreover, the predicted diffusion parameters revealed that the interaction between Prussian blue and nanocomposite beads was predominant. The surface morphology, examined using a Scanning Electron Microscope, showed that the Prussian blue strongly covered on outer surface of the beads. The FTIR proves the Prussian blue dye was strappingly loaded on the surface of nanocomposite beads. The TGA curve revealed the synthesized beads has an exceptional temperature resistance.

Herein, we report the design and synthesis of i-Indigo and trans-1,2-di(2-thienyl)ethylene (TVT) comprising copolymers with various side chains that are used as anode-cum-binder in Li-ion batteries. The TVT disrupts the crystallinity, and the i-Indigo renders the handle for unsymmetrical substitution. Polymer P1comprises alkyl chains on i-Indigo, whereas P2comprises an alkyl chain and a chain with a urethane moiety as another side chain. Polymer P3comprises i-Indigo with a urethane moiety and triethylene glycol as side chains. The i-Indigo in P4is substituted with triethylene glycol and alkyl chains as side chains. These polymers were found to be amorphous with π–π stacking due to the extremely small torsional angle imparted by TVT moieties. All of these polymers showed comparable specific capacity while used as an anode in Li-ion batteries due to the presence of a common conjugated backbone. However, the battery metrics varied significantly while the current density of the batteries varied between 0.1 and 2.0 A g–1. P1and P2showed a very close recovery of specific capacity at 0.1 A g–1before and after various current densities. However, polymers P3and P4did not recover from the specific capacity fading due to the presence of triethylene glycol side chain that degraded. Polymer P2with an alkyl side chain and a chain with a urethane moiety showed stable performance over 2000 charge–discharge cycles. Contrary to this, the stability of polymers with triethylene glycol side chains decreased over 2000 charge–discharge cycles. Polymer P2with a urethane side chain also showed improved Li-ion diffusion because the urethane moiety facilitated better Li-ion transport.

AbstractThe novel synthetic amino acid-like zwitterion containing imine bond ionic compound 2-[(E)-(2-carboxy benzylidene) amino] ethan ammonium salt, C10H12N2O2,was synthesized. Computational functional characterization is now being used to predict novel compounds. Here, we report on a titled combination that has been crystallizing in orthorhombic space group Pcc2 with Z = 4. The zwitterions form centrosymmetric dimers to polymeric supramolecular network via intermolecular N—H…O hydrogen bonds between the carboxylate groups and ammonium ion. The components are linked by ionic (N+–H–O−) and hydrogen bonds (N+–H–O), forming a complex three-dimensional supramolecular network. Further, molecular computational docking characterization study was performed with compound against multi-disease drug target biomolecule of anticancer target molecule of HDAC8 (PDB ID 1T69) receptor and antiviral molecular target protease (PDB ID 6LU7) to evaluate the interaction stability, conformational changes and to get insights into the natural dynamics on different timescales in solution.HighlightsThe novel zwitter ionic amino acid compound 2-[(E)-(2-carboxybenzylidene) amino] ethan ammonium salt, C10H12N2O2.The crystal structure determined for this compound illustrates the presence of intermolecular ionic N+–H–O−and N+–H–O hydrogen bonds between the carboxylate groups and ammonium ion, which influence the formation of a complex three-dimensional supramolecular polymeric network.Molecular docking studies helps to understand the conformational stability and interaction stabilityThe novel molecule can be considered for anticancer treatment.

Bamboo is recognized as a versatile and fast-growing perennial plant widely grown in many parts of India. Annually, the agarbatti and bamboo-based industries generate 15–40% of bamboo waste, which gives researchers ideas for converting waste biomass into briquettes as well as alternative resources for biomass requirements for fuel purposes. The bamboo samples were collected from forest areas of Tripura, India, and briquettes were processed from Bambusa tuldamain culm and residues by using a pilot hydraulic piston briquette machine. The physico-thermochemical analysis was quantified in the culm and residues-based briquettes of Bambusa tulda. The present study infers that the briquettes made from a 4-year-old culm of Bambusa tuldagave better performance based on the moisture content (5.32%), ash content (4.09%), volatile matter (71.29%), fixed carbon content (24.62%), bulk density (0.383 g cm−3), true density (0.965 g cm−3), gross calorific value (4714.30 kcal kg−1), compression strength (6.21 MPa), energy density (7.55 Gcal m−3), and drop resistance test (0.47%), respectively. So, these briquettes made from locally available B. tuldawill fulfil the demand and serve as an alternative to fuelwood, giving alternative jobs and improving the livelihoods of local people.

The copepods are nutritionally superior and important live-feed organisms in aquaculture. However, attaining the high density and continuous production of copepods to fulfil the requirements of fish larval production is still a challenge, as compared to other live feeds such as artemia and rotifer. The lack of effective technology in the live feed industry failed to produce a mass density of copepods. Pseudodiaptomus annandaleiis a common tropical calanoid copepod species. Hence, the present study attempted the high-density and continuous production of P. annandaleithrough various optimization technologies, namely, selective and induced breeding by environmental induction, hormone induction, and microbial induction. The copepod P. annandaleiwas tested with various selective breeding methods, i.e. (a) 18°C cold selective breeding (18°C CSB), (b) 26°C normal selective breeding (26°C NSB), and (c) non-selective breeding (control). This study reveals, compared to 18°C CSB and control copepods, the 26°C NSB copepod P. annandaleiproduced a significant population of 17181.6 ± 371.2 ind/l using RASC. Across the five generations, the mean nauplii production genetic gain (∆G) for G5 was 29.6% with calculated heritability (h2) of 0.30. For the continuous production of copepod, P. annandaleiwas optimized with suitable environmental parameters. In hormone induction, 20 μg/L bisphenol A and 40 μg/L 17β-estradiol produced high NPR, but the survival rate (SR) decreased while using these hormones. In the meantime, probiotic induction gave a positive result in terms of NPR. The maximum NPR in P. annandaleiwas induced by Bacillus subtilisat a concentration of 106CFU/mL, and probiotic induction also improved the copepod SR. Our findings provide the first concrete proof that P. annandaleiwould be a candidate species with favourable outcomes for selective breeding—improving its reproductive capacity.

Semiconductor photocatalytic degradation of industrial dyes and bacterial growth inhibition using nanosemiconductor materials are beneficial for contaminants removal and biomedical applications. Metal oxide semiconductor nanoparticle production has attracted a lot of interest in recent years since the materials are inexpensive, easy to make, and environmentally benign. The overall objective of this study is to create novel La/NiO nanoparticles. The nanoparticle’s phase structure, bandgap, electron–hole recombination rate, vibrational modes, morphology, elemental investigation, stability, oxidation state, pore size distribution, and electron distribution were studied using XRD, TGA, DTA, DRS UV–Vis spectroscopy, Tauc’s plot, FTIR, Raman, SEM, EDAX, elemental mapping, TEM, zeta potential, XPS, and BET analyses. The XRD analysis showed high crystallinity for NiO and reduced crystal size for La/NiO. The results of the zeta potential demonstrated the remarkable stability of the La/NiO. TEM results exhibited a morphology that resembled spheres. Using XPS analysis, the oxidation state and nature of environment of the elements were identified. The BET surface area of La/NiO were equal to 22.5 m2/g. The photocatalytic degradation of congo red (anionic), and emerald green dye (cationic) was investigated over La/NiO. The results showed 94% degradation of congo red and emerald green dyes under UV light (365 nm) within 180 min. The degradation followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The antibacterial activity of La/ NiO nanoparticles on various bacterial strains was examined using the agar well diffusion technique. The results revealed higher antibacterial activity for Pseudomonas putida(zone of inhibition equal to 30 mm in diameter) than others. So, the La/NiO degrading approach was demonstrated to be an outstanding and low-cost degrading technique in unaffected textile dye effluent and has effective antibacterial activity for other bacterial strains.

We sought to report the effectiveness of infliximab and adalimumab over the first 3 years of treatment and to define the factors that predict anti-TNF treatment failure and the strategies that prevent or mitigate loss of response.

In this article, by employing some theta identities of Ramanujan, we establish many Ramanujan-type congruences modulo 2, 5 and 7 for Bℓ,m(n), where (ℓ,m)∈{(2,21),(5,14),(5,21),(5,28),(5,49),(5,343),(6,16),(14,28),(22,44)}.

Breast cancer (BC) remains a significant global health issue, necessitating innovative methodologies to improve early detection and diagnosis. Despite the existence of intelligent deep learning models, their efficacy is often limited due to the oversight of small-sized masses, leading to false positive and false negative outcomes. This research introduces a novel segmentation-guided classification model developed to increase BC detection accuracy. The designed model unfolds in two critical phases, each contributing to a comprehensive BC diagnostic pipeline. In Phase I, the Attention U-Net model is utilized for BC segmentation. The encoder extracts hierarchical features, while the decoder, supported by attention mechanisms, refines the segmentation, focusing on suspicious regions. In Phase II, a novel ensemble approach is introduced for BC classification, involving various feature extraction methods, base classifiers, and a meta-classifier. An ensemble of model classifiers-including support vector machine, decision trees, k-nearest neighbor and artificial neural network- captures diverse patterns within these features. The Random Forest meta-classifier amalgamates their outputs, leveraging their collective strengths. The proposed integrated model accurately identifies different breast tumor classes, including malignant, benign, and normal. The precise region-of-interest analysis from segmentation phase significantly boosted classification performance of ensemble meta-classifier. The model accomplished an overall accuracy rate of 99.57% with high segmentation performance of 95% f1-score, illustrating its high discriminative power in detecting malignant, benign, and normal cases within the ultrasound image dataset. This research contributes to reducing breast tumor morbidity and mortality by facilitating early detection and timely intervention, ultimately supporting better patient outcomes.

The chaotic and dynamic nature of heat transfer results is either time-consuming or inaccurate predictions of the temperature field in simulations. In particular, the simulation of burning buildings is complex and at the same time the key enabler in saving lives and keeping property damage to a minimum. Deep Learning Neural Networks are a possibility to speed up the simulation process and make real-time predictions of temperature behavior or even replace the simulation process as a whole in the long run.

Device type identification (DTI) is a significant system to recognise several device types based on internet of things (IoT) management. If an infected IoT device is not isolated from the network for a certain amount of time, it cause cross-contamination and introduce malware in the whole network. To overcome this problem, a graph sample and aggregate-attention network optimised with arithmetic optimisation algorithm fostered IoT device type identification (GrSAgAN-AOA-DTI-IoT) is proposed for enhancing IoT security. The network traffic feature vector contains maximum, minimum, mean, variance, and kurtosis, which are extracted by TF-IDF. These extracting features are supplied to the IoT device type identification phase. The proposed GrSAgAN-AOA-DTI-IoT approach is activated in Python. The GrSAgAN-AOA-DTI-IoT method attains higher accuracy 29.36%, 32.67%, 36.14% and 21.33% and lower computational complex 16.39%.11.39%, 8.36% and 14.31% compared to the existing methods.

Rapid growth of communication technologies and expert systems produces enormous volume of medical data. Deep learning technique is an advancement of machine learning technique for analysing the huge amount of various diseases related medical dataset. Even though, no healthcare systems are achieved better prediction accuracy with the various medical datasets in the past decades. For improving the accuracy level of disease prediction, we develop a disease prediction system to predict the serious death diseases including heart disease, diabetic disease and cancer diseases effectively in this paper. This disease prediction system consists of feature selection method that works as incremental in nature named as Incremental Feature Selection Algorithm (IFSA) which combines the concepts of Intelligent Conditional Random Field (CRF) on feature selection process and the Linear Correlation Coefficient based Feature Selection (ICRF-LCFS) method algorithm and an existing Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with temporal features (T-CNN). The proposed disease prediction system is evaluated and achieved better prediction accuracy in less time with low false alarm rate.

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Dyes are discharged from paint, textiles, and other businesses into their effluent, which harms the ecosystem over time. The nanoparticles have a high surface area-to-volume ratio; hence, they can treat pollutants quickly and effectively. In this study, yttrium-doped cobalt oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using tender coconut water as a stabilizing and capping agent. The cubic phase was identified by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), and the crystallite sizes of Co3O4and Y-doped Co3O4nanoparticles were found to be 18.44 nm and 11.03 nm, respectively. The cubic phase of Co3O4and Y-doped Co3O4nanoparticles was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy analysis, and it is well related to XRD analysis. The Y-doped cobalt oxide nanoparticles had a calcination temperature of 500 °C was found by thermogravimetric analysis. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic analysis showed the stretching vibrations of Co (II) O and Co (III) O with respective peaks. UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS-UV) revealed a red shift in the bandgap energy for Y-doped Co3O4nanoparticles. The photocatalytic activity of the Y-doped Co3O4nanoparticles was examined with brilliant blue, neutral red, and crystal violet dyes, and degradation efficiency was 52.37%, 90.98%, and 89.98%, respectively. The dyes degraded under visible light after 180 min, according to first-order kinetics. The antibacterial activity of the Y-doped Co3O4nanoparticles against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermis, Salmonella enterica, E. coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosabacterial strains was assessed using the agar well diffusion method, and it was found that the pathogens were inhibited.

Machining of shape memory alloys (SMAs) without losing the shape memory effect could immensely extend their applications. Herein, the wire electric discharge machining process was used to machine NiTi—a shape memory alloy. The experimental methodology was designed using a Box-Behnken design approach of the response surface methodology. The effects of input variables including pulse on time, pulse off time, and current were investigated on the material removal rate, surface roughness, and microhardness. ANOVA tests were performed to check the robustness of the generated empirical models. Optimization of the process parameters was performed using a newly formulated, highly efficient heat transfer search algorithm. Validation tests were conducted and extended for analyzing the retention of the shape memory effect of the machined surface by differential scanning calorimetry. In addition, 2D and 3D Pareto curves were generated that indicated the trade-offs between the selected output variables during the simultaneous output variables using the multi-objective heat transfer search algorithm. The optimization route yielded encouraging results. Single objective optimization yielded a maximum material removal rate of 1.49 mm3/s, maximum microhardness 462.52 HVN, and minimum surface roughness 0.11 µm. The Pareto curves showed conflicting effects during the wire electric discharge machining of the shape memory alloy and presented a set of optimal non-dominant solutions. The shape memory alloy machined using the optimized process parameters even indicated a shape memory effect similar to that of the starting base material.

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In 2023, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) reported that there were over 160,000 registered behavior technicians (RBTs) certified to deliver behavior analytic services. Previous research suggests that RBTs experience varying levels of burnout and turnover intention. Providing employees breaks at work is one strategy that may decrease burnout and turnover. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 RBTs working in clinics, schools, and homes to inquire about their experiences with taking breaks at work. The results of the thematic analysis yielded the following themes: (1) breaks are important and necessary; (2) break conditions vary; and (3) support for taking breaks is mixed. The implications of these findings and recommendations for employees, supervisors, and organizations are discussed.

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In this present study explores the multifunctional potential of ZnO@CA/PCL nanocomposites, delving into their efficacy in wastewater treatment and exhibiting promising in vitro anticancer activity. The prepared nanocomposites were characterized by Scanning SEM, TGA, XRD, UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results of an invitro anticancer activity showed the significant cytotoxic effect of ZnO nanoparticles on the ACHN renal cancer cell line. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO@CA/PCL nanocomposites were evaluated by monitoring the degradation of congo red (CR) and rhodamine-B (RhB) dyes under UV illumination. The degradation efficacy of the rhodamine-B (90%) was higher than that of the congo red dye (80%) after 60 min of irradiation under UV light.

Single crystals of urea potassium dichromate (UPDC) were successfully grown by slow evaporation method at normal room temperature. Single-crystal X-ray diffractometer was utilized to measure the lattice parameters and to confirm the crystal system. The functional groups present in the grown UPDC crystal have been identified by the FTIR spectral analysis. The optical absorption studies were carried out so as to confirm the lower cutoff wavelength of the grown crystal which has been analyzed by making use of UV–Vis spectrum. The dielectric response and the mechanical hardness of the sample have been studied. The surface morphology of the sample was identified using scanning electron microscope. The existence of second-harmonic generation signals was observed using Nd: YAG laser with fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm possessing SHG efficiency of 2.5 times greater than that of KDP, and hence it can be a potential material for the frequency-doubling process.

This brief presents a low-voltage regulator with an integrated single bipolar-based bandgap voltage reference circuit. Unlike conventional architectures, the proposal has a bandgap core current independent of the load, making it suitable to support a wider range of load currents upto 10mA. The regulator uses an improved self-bias loop to increase the DC gain of the loop. Although the architecture does not use offset canceling techniques like chopping, the circuit has an average accuracy of 23 ppm/ $^{o}\text{C}$ from -40°C to 125°C. Embedding the bandgap core in the error amplifier’s first stage reduces the number of noise sources and yields a lower offset temperature coefficient. This brief also briefly analyzes the negative feedback nature of the self-bias loop. The prototype is designed in TSMC 65nm LP technology and regulates the output voltage of 1V from a 1.2V supply. The measured output noise is about $10~\mu \text{V}/\boldsymbol {\sqrt {Hz}}$ at 1Hz, and the load regulation is 0.50 mV/mA. The design occupies a silicon area of about 0.0121 mm2 while consuming 0.4mA of bias current.

Graphical abstract: Cyanobacteria bio-stimulant model for crop improvement and productivity on Trigonella foenum-graecumL.

The ten-layered NiTi walls were manufactured by wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) on Ti substrate pre-heated at 20 °C, 200 °C, 300 °C or 400 °C. It was found that an increase in the substrate temperature increased the sharpness of [001] texture and led to smooth variation in the Ni concentration in the NiTi phase on sample height that affected the martensitic transformation parameters. Annealing at 500 °C for six hours aligned the Ni distribution in the NiTi phase and decreased its concentration due to the formation of Ni4Ti3precipitates. As a result, starting in the fifth layer, the martensitic transformation temperatures became independent of the distance from the substrate and the substrate temperature. In annealed samples, the substrate temperature affected the shape memory and superelastic behaviour. The recoverable and irreversible strain decreased upon an increase in substrate temperature because they were affected by the texture that was not destroyed by annealing.

ABSTRACTThis study examined the impact of a combination of hardened and tempered surface change technologies and AlCrN coating on the tribological characteristics of AISID2 steel. The duplex surface change, such as the combination of a heat treatment at 600°C for 1 hr and a PVD (sputtering), archives the superior wear resistance and mechanical properties. AlCrN coating has been implemented in AISID2 steel after a hardened and tempered treatment. This process was carried out as part of an appropriate thermal treatment cycle in accordance with ASM Vol.2. Subsequently, the AlCrN coating synthesised by PVD (sputtering) improves the adhesion between the coatings and the AISID2 steel. The wear properties according to ASTMG99 have been tested with a typical load of 10N, 20N and 30N for a sliding distance of 6000 m with a constant velocity of 1.256 ms−1in wet conditions. Tests revealed that the AlCrN coating deposited on the hardened and tempered steel was more resistant to wear than the AlCrN coating applied to the unhardened steel. Therefore, it should be possible to implement the results of this study for forming operations with low COF and a low amount of resulting wear such as drawing and rolling in dies.

After erection, the Transmission Line (TL) towers are left with unfilled bolt holes in stub members, which leads to failure due to buckling strength reduction. Thus, the buckling resistance of leg members is crucial in determining the overall stability of TL towers. This paper discusses forensic failure investigation of a 220 kV prototype tested TL tower with unfilled bolt holes in stub members. An analytical expression based on local and flexural buckling interaction, considering the local plate buckling near the vicinity of unfilled bolt holes on the compressive strength of stub member, has been investigated to understand the failure. Detailed component-level experimental, numerical and analytical investigations as per IS 802 (Part 1/Sec 2): 2016/ASCE 10-15: 2015 and BS 8100-3: 1999 standard design specifications have been carried out to simulate stub member failure due to the presence of unfilled bolt holes. Based on these studies, it is observed that premature failure occurred due to the local buckling of stub members with unfilled bolt holes. Hence, to prevent the failure of existing TL towers in the field, it is recommended to fill all unfilled bolt holes in stub members with dummy bolts to ensure their structural adequacy.

A novel flexible polyimide-based soft jellyfish robot actuated by shape memory alloy (SMA) was fabricated and the pulse and recovery process of the jellyfish has been mimicked. The existing SMA wire-embedded tentacle fabrication technique is a time-consuming and human-tiring process. The proposed structure is novel, cost-effective, and easy to fabricate with very less time consumption compared to conventional mold-based methods. The behavior of the proposed jellyfish structure has been investigated with varying SMA wire diameters and frequencies. The jellyfish tentacle displacement and velocity during mimicking were measured. The temperature modeling of SMA embedded structure and deflection modeling using beam bending theory has been performed. In addition, a preliminary simulation of the jellyfish mimicking has been carried out in Ansys Fluent and the thrust force has been evaluated. The results show that the proposed method can be successfully applied to mimic jellyfish locomotion and extended to underwater applications. The initial prototype has been developed with an onboard camera module and sonar sensor for object detection application with a watertight PDMS bell structure.

The aim of this work was to systematically find the optimum parameter combination using the response surface methodology (RSM) technique for welding of UNS S31803 tubes and to find the effect of parameters on mechanical and metallurgical properties. In the present work, the experimental investigations of friction-welded UNS S31803 tube joints are discussed in detail with characterization, radiography, and corrosion studies. The most important parameter that has the greatest impact on the tensile strength of the joints is the upset pressure, which is followed by heating time, heating pressure, and upset time. As the upset pressure and time increased, the joint strength also increased. The radiographic evaluation of the weldments revealed no significant flaws at the weld contact. In comparison to the parent metal zone, the microstructure indicated coarse grain structure in the weld metal zone, with grain orientation changing with upset time. For the optimal parameter combination, the austenite phase is primarily spread in the weld metal zone. In comparison to the partially deformed zone and the parent metal zone, the weld zone had lower hardness values. In the high strength and optimum parameter joints, fractography investigation revealed ductile failure.

The rate of increase in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere has already reached a critical point. Day by day, the number of vehicles on the road is increasing in a geometric progression, which has led to an increase in carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions from spark-ignition engines. In this review, the formation of engine emissions and their effects on environmental and human aspects are discussed in detail. This review clearly discusses how fuel properties affect engine performance and reduce emissions. This paper is a review of the use of various types of oxygenates with gasoline on engine emissions and the improvement of the performance of engine combustion by oxygen enhancement. The various oxygenates (methanol, ethanol, ethyl tert butyl ether, methyl tert butyl ether, butanol, dimethyl carbonate, dimethyl ether, and diisopropyl ether) are reviewd in this paper based on their production and the feasibility of adding them to fossil fuels. The study found that fuel volatility, oxygen percentage, and octane number are the desired properties to use as oxygenates in gasoline. Among different oxygenates, DIPE would be a suitable oxygenate additive to gasoline based on its blending properties, and performance, emission, and combustion behaviour of gasoline-DIPE blends.

The main objective of this investigation is to study the mechanical properties and microstructural features of rotary friction welded (RFW) UNS S42000 martensitic stainless-steel joints. The welded joints were stress relieved at 316 °C for 1 h holding followed by air cooling. The joints welded using the friction pressure of 60 MPa, forging pressure of 64 MPa, friction time of 18 s and forging time of 4 s exhibited superior tensile properties. Microstructure showed carbide precipitates and strain induced and partial strain induced martensite in weld zone for heat treated condition and coarser martensite and retained austenite for non-heat treated condition. Fractography for tensile tested samples reveals predominantly ductile mode of fracture for heat treated samples than non-heat treated condition. The Microhardness showed a higher value of hardness for the weld zone due to strain induced martensite and lesser hardness at PDZ due to partial strain hardened martensite.

Small, strained ring systems are important pharmacophores in medicinal chemistry and versatile intermediates in organic synthesis. However, the kinetic and thermodynamic instability of many strained organic molecules renders them challenging to prepare. Here, we report a strain-inducing positional alkene isomerization reaction that provides mild and selective access to cyclobutene building blocks from readily obtained cyclobutylidene precursors. This endergonic isomerization relies on the sequential and synergistic action of a decatungstate polyanion photocatalyst and cobaloxime co-catalyst to store potential energy in the form of ring strain. The versatility of the cyclobutene products is demonstrated through diverse subsequent strain-releasing transformations. Mechanistic studies reveal a steric basis for strain-selective product formation.

Nitrogen (N) is a key nutrient required by all living organisms for growth and development, but is a limiting resource for many organisms. Organisms that feed on material with low N content, such as wood, might be particularly prone to N limitation. In this study, we investigated the degree to which the xylophagous larvae of the stag beetle Ceruchus piceus(Weber) use associations with N-fixing bacteria to acquire N. We paired acetylene reduction assays by cavity ring-down absorption spectroscopy (ARACAS) with 15N2incubations to characterize rates of N fixation within C. piceus. Not only did we detect significant N fixation activity within C. piceuslarvae, but we calculated a rate that was substantially higher than most previous reports for N fixation in insects. While taking these measurements, we discovered that N fixation within C. piceuscan decline rapidly in a lab setting. Consequently, our results demonstrate that previous studies, which commonly keep insects in the lab for long periods of time prior to and during measurement, may have systematically under-reported rates of N fixation in insects. This suggests that within-insect N fixation may contribute more to insect nutrition and ecosystem-scale N budgets than previously thought.

Epilepsy is one of the medical conditions in human caused by the disorder in central-nervous-system (CNS). Early detection and treatment are essential patient healthcare. Brain condition monitoring with electroencephalogram (EEG) is a commonly adopted medical practice as it provides vital information regarding the brain activity. This research work aims to present a detailed examination on EEG signals with improved detection accuracy using synchro-extracting-transform (SET); which converts the complex 1D EEG into 2D images using time–frequency transformation. The proposed EEG classification pipeline consists of the following phases: (i) transforming the EEG into RGB scaled image, (ii) implementing the discrete-wavelet-transform and local-binary-pattern to enhance the image textures, (iii) mining the essential texture and entropy features, (iv) dominant feature selection with firefly algorithm, (v) serial feature concatenation, and (vi) binary classifier implementation and fivefold cross validation. In this work, the classification of EEG is performed with; (i) handcrafted features, (ii) deep-features and (iii) concatenated deep and handcrafted features and the results were presented and discussed. The proposed approach helped to achieve a better classification accuracy with handcrafted features, deep features and concatenated features for EEG datasets considered in this research.

Data and information exchange are vital for long-term transboundary water cooperation. However, many transboundary river basins lack regular data exchange between riparian States. In many cases, this is simply a feature of the generally fragmented nature of transboundary water cooperation; in others, transboundary river basin data sharing may be withheld for geopolitical reasons. The Tigris-Euphrates and Indus river basins are among the most highly politicized river basins globally. Cooperation between riparians is complicated by a lack of certainty regarding data, information exchange and legal obligations, as upper riparians in both basins have persistently objected to the customary law of international watercourses. With reference to international water law, this article ascertains the level of data and information exchange in these two basins, both through formal and informal structures, as well as prevalent obstacles and the institutional and technological responses to them. Despite significant challenges, the authors argue that technological advances can stimulate enhanced riparian cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of high wear/erosion resistance materials for defense application is found to be a challenging task among the researchers. The current study investigated the reinforcement effect of TiC and Rice husk ash (RHA) on Al6061 hybrid composites made using a two-step ultrasonic-assisted stir casting process. Four distinct Al6061 hybrid composites were created with varying TiC weight percentages (3, 6, 9, and 12 wt.%). RHA weight percentage was kept constant at 3%. The solid particle erosion test was carried out on each composite using a Taguchi L27 (33) orthogonal array. Experiments were conducted by varying the erodent particle impact angle, erodent velocity, and erodent discharge rate. The effect of each parameter on the erosion rate of the TiC/RHA Al6061 composite was discussed. The composite containing 12% TiC and 3% RHA showed improved erosion resistance. It was found that on increasing the TiC addition in the composite resulted in an increase in erosion resistance. SEM images were used to examine the surface failure on the composites caused by erodent impact.