Propane ammoxidation on bulk, diluted and supported VSb oxides

VSb oxides diluted with Mg, Al and Zr displayed substantially higher selectivity for propane ammoxidation to acrylonitrile than their bulk and supported analogues. Diluted catalysts were found to consist of oxide compounds of antimony with diluent element, such as AlSbO₄ or MgSb₂O₆, and small amounts of individual oxides of antimony and diluent element. No VSbO₄ phase was detected in their body in contrast with bulk and supported catalysts. It appears that better isolation of vanadium and antimony entities in the structure of diluted oxides was responsible for their enhanced catalytic behavior. Tungsten loaded to the surface of diluted catalysts further improved their selectivity through tuning the surface acidity.     

Application of artificial neural network for prediction of particle size in pharmaceutical cocrystallization using mechanochemical synthesis

Neural Computing and Applications - Milling by mechanical means is vital unit operation in pharmaceutical processing which can be used for controlling particle size reduction. This approach can be...     

Optimizing Approach of Water Allocation to Off-Takes During Reduced Flows

Multi-objective optimization models with an index were developed based on farmers’ preferences, local requirements, supplies available at the head of the canal, system losses, crop demand about different growth stages, and field soil moisture balance. The models were applied using linear programming. The Model 1 determines the cropping pattern by maximizing net economic benefits using a monthly basis lumped volume available at the head of the canal and is set to the minimum and maximum area constraints along with the constraint of minimum main crop area. The areas for different crops given by the first model form input for the Model 2. The other inputs of Model 2 included periodic supply available at the head of the primary canal (7-day period in this study), root growth depth, demand, and soil moisture constants. The Model 2 optimizes the sum of relative yields of all the crops and provide the irrigation levels of various crops for specified periods. Finally, the distributed area and irrigation levels determined by Model 2 are used in conjunction with the losses to decide flow rates of off takes. The complete program was implemented in the West branch irrigated area of Mirpurkhas subdivision. The results showed that the resources were allocated to off-takes in a competitive and conflict-free manner.

     

A neuroplasticity-inspired neural circuit for acoustic navigation with obstacle avoidance that learns smooth motion paths

Neural Computing and Applications - Acoustic spatial navigation for mobile robots is relevant in the absence of reliable visual information about the target that must be localised. Reactive robot...     

Evaluation of Failure Capacity of Offshore Riser Protectors Under Vessel Impact

Conventional riser protectors, also known as riser-guards, are installed on fixed offshore platforms to protect risers from vessel impact. These space frame structures made of hollow mild steel tubular sections are mainly designed using the approach of boat fenders which may result in over- or under-protection provided to risers. Lack of in-depth study on the dynamic behavior and capacity of conventional riser-guards is considered to be the primary challenge for creative and efficient design of conventional riser protectors. This paper presents a detailed numerical investigation on the dynamic response, damage and failure mechanics of conventional steel riser-guards during accidental vessel collision using nonlinear finite element analysis. Collision forces equivalent to vessel collision with riser-guards for different spans were estimated to provide information for load-based design. Variation in damage patterns for broadside and bow impacts is presented for riser protectors with different spans. The actual capacity of a typical riser-guard in terms of maximum impact energy sustainable prior to failure was also determined from dynamic pushover analysis. The structural response and damage parameters presented in this study can be used for better understanding of damage mechanism and failure capacity of riser protectors which can act as a baseline for further design optimization, as well as the development of other alternative riser protection systems.     

Photo-sensing properties of Cd-doped In2S3 thin films fabricated via low-cost nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique

In this study, we report the fabrication of cadmium-doped indium sulfide thin films (In₂S₃:Cd) using a low-cost nebulizer-aided spray pyrolysis process at 350 °C on glass substrates for photo-sensing applications. The impact of 0, 2, 4, and 8 wt% cadmium concentrations on the structure, morphology, optical properties, and photo-sensing capabilities of In₂S₃ thin films were examined systematically. From X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, the major peak is located in the (103) plane for all Cd-doped In₂S₃ thin film samples, and the maximum crystallite size for the 4 wt% sample is 59 nm. The field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) image revealed a homogenous large-grained surface of Cd-doped In₂S₃ film that completely covered the substrate. UV–Vis absorption analysis demonstrated good absorption for all thin film samples in the visible and ultraviolet regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, particularly, the 4% Cd-doped concentration showed excellent absorption as is observed from Tauc relation. The highest PL intensity at 680 nm was observed for the sample coated with 4 wt% of Cd. Under UV light, the I–V behavior depicts a light current of 1.06?×?10^–6 A for a 5 V bias voltage. The In₂S₃: Cd (4%) sample had the highest responsivity of 2.12?×?10^?1A/W and a detectivity of 1.84?×?10¹¹ Jones, with a high EQE of 50%. The study manifests that the developed Cd (4%)-doped In₂S₃ thin film sample might be better suited for the application of photodetectors.

     

Compact and High Speed Architectures of KASUMI Block Cipher

Wireless Personal Communications - This paper proposes highly compact and high speed hardware architectures of 64-bit KASUMI block cipher for wide range of wireless applications. A novel...     

A Robust Wearable Point-of-Care CNT-Based Strain Sensor for Wirelessly Monitoring Throat-Related Illnesses

Point-of-care testing (POC) has the ability to detect chronic and infectious diseases early or at the time of occurrence and provide a state-of-the-art personalized healthcare system. Recently, wearable and flexible sensors have been employed to analyze sweat, glucose, blood, and human skin conditions. However, a flexible sensing system that allows for the real-time monitoring of throat-related illnesses, such as salivary parotid gland swelling caused by flu and mumps, is necessary. Here, for the first time, a wearable, highly flexible, and stretchable piezoresistive sensing patch based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is reported, which can record muscle expansion or relaxation in real-time, and thus act as a next-generation POC sensor. The patch offers an excellent gauge factor for in-plane stretching and spatial expansion with low hysteresis. The actual extent of muscle expansion is calculated and the gauge factor for applications entailing volumetric deformations is redefined. Additionally, a bluetooth-low-energy system that tracks muscle activity in real-time and transmits the output signals wirelessly to a smartphone app is utilized. Numerical calculations verify that the low stress and strain lead to excellent mechanical reliability and repeatability. Finally, a dummy muscle is inflated using a pneumatic-based actuator to demonstrate the application of the affixed wearable next-generation POC sensor.