Negative photoconductivity in silver nanocubes prepared by simple photochemical method

Silver nanocubes embedded in polyvinyl alcohol matrix have been synthesised by photoirradiation technique. The composite films are characterised by FESEM, XRD, UV-Visible absorption and photoluminescence. These show characteristics of silver nanoparticles with FESEM showing the cubic shape. The photoconductivity study of these films shows decrease in photocurrent with light irradiation. Such negative photoconductivity behaviour may be attributed to dominant scattering of electrons by excited surface plasmon polaritons in nanoscale.     

A Wide Learning Approach for Interpretable Feature Recommendation for 1-D Sensor Data in IoT Analytics

Machine Intelligence Research - This paper presents a state of the art machine learning-based approach for automation of a varied class of Internet of things (IoT) analytics problems targeted on...     

A New Link Failure Resilient Priority Based Fair Mutual Exclusion Algorithm for Distributed Systems

This paper aims towards designing a new token-based mutual exclusion algorithm for distributed systems. In some of the earlier work, token based algorithms for mutual exclusion are proposed for the distributed environment assuming inverted tree topology. In a wireless setup, such a stable, hierarchical topology is quite unrealistic due to frequent link failures. The proposed token-based algorithm works for processes with assigned priorities on any directed graph topology with or without cycles. The proposed algorithm, in spite of considering priorities of processes, ensures liveness in terms of token requests from low priority processes. Moreover, the algorithm keeps control message traffic reasonably low. The simulation results exhibit the performance of the proposed algorithm under varied contexts besides presenting a comparative performance with other recent algorithms for mutual exclusion like FAPP (Fairness Algorithm for Priority Process).     

Selective fractionation of cholesterol from whole milk powder: optimisation of supercritical process conditions

Supercritical fluid extraction (SCFE) of cholesterol from whole milk powder (WMP) was investigated in this study. The combined effects of temperature (40–80 °C) and pressure (150–250 bar) on the efficacy of cholesterol extraction (mg 100 g^?1), modifications in the fat content (FC) (%) and solubility index (SI) (%) of WMP were studied and optimised by the application of response surface methodology (RSM). Variations in the free fatty acids (FFAs) (mg oleic acid per 100 g of milk fat) and lightness value (L*) were also investigated after SCFE process. About 55.8% reduction in cholesterol was achieved at the optimised condition of 68 °C, 207 bar with 40 min static time and 2 h dynamic time at flow rate of 6 L min^?1. Extraction at the optimised conditions maximised the yield of cholesterol while retaining the FC, SI, FFA and L* at moderate limits of 23.7%, 85.1%, 7.7 mg per 100 g milk fat and 95.4, respectively.     

Combined addition of nano diamond and nano SiO2, an effective method to improve the in-field critical current density of MgB2 superconductor

MgB₂ bulk samples added with nano SiO₂ and/or nano diamond were prepared by powder-in-sealed-tube (PIST) method and the effects of addition on structural and superconducting properties were studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the addition caused systematic reduction in ‘a’ lattice parameter due to the substitution of C atoms at B sites and the strain caused by reacted intragrain nano particles of Mg₂Si as evinced by transmission electron microscope image. Scanning electron microscopy images showed distinct microstructural variations with SiO₂/diamond addition. It was evident from DC magnetization measurements that the in-field critical current density [J_C(H)] of doped samples did not fall drastically like the undoped sample. Among the doped samples the J_C(H) of co-doped samples were significantly higher and the best co-doped sample yielded a J_C, an order of magnitude more than the undoped one at 5 K and 8 T.     

Mechanical and tribological behavior of alumina and alumina‐CNT reinforced hybrid unsaturated polyester composites

Micro‐ and nano‐scale wear behavior of alumina vis‐á‐vis alumina‐carbon nanotube‐reinforced hybrid composites has been studied. In comparison to the pristine alumina, the alumina‐carbon nanotube hybrid reinforcement resulted in reduced scratch depth and lower frictional coefficient. Addition of carbon nanotube has effectively modified the pristine alumina into a superior wear resistant filler. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:1577–1586, 2016. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Size independent fracture energy evaluation for plain cement concrete

The present work deals with the investigation of a robust analytical scheme to assess the size‐independent fracture energy of concrete. The study involves the numerical modelling of three‐point bend (TPB) concrete beams that are geometrically similar, having constant length to depth ratio with varying range of notch to depth (a/W) ratios. The unique nonlinear behaviour of concrete 1material is incorporated through fracture energy‐based strain‐softening model in the finite‐element numerical simulation. The International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures (RILEM) fracture energy values are evaluated through numerical simulation of several set of experimentally observed load‐load line displacement response. The RILEM fracture energy values associated with geometrically similar beams have been utilised to develop a methodology for assessment of the size‐independent fracture energy of concrete. The numerically predicted and experimentally evaluated size‐independent fracture energy using the RILEM fracture energy values are found to be in close agreement.     

Constrained Efficient Global Optimization for Pultrusion Process

Composite materials, as the name indicates, are composed of different materials that yield superior performance as compared to individual components. Pultrusion is one of the most cost-effective manufacturing techniques for producing fiber-reinforced composites with constant cross-sectional profiles. This obviously makes it more attractive for both researchers and practitioners to investigate the optimum process parameters. Validated computer simulations cost less as compared to physical experiments, therefore this makes them an efficient tool for numerical optimization. However, the complexity of the numerical models can still be “expensive” and forces us to use them sparingly. These relatively more complex models can be replaced with “surrogates,” which are less complex and are therefore faster to evaluate representative models. In this article, a previously validated thermochemical simulation of the pultrusion process has shortly been presented. Following this, a new constrained optimization methodology based on a well-known surrogate method, i.e., Kriging, is introduced. Next, a validation case is presented to clarify the working principles of the implementation, which also supports the upcoming main optimization test cases. This design problem involves the design of the heating die with one, two, and three heaters together with the pulling speed. The results show that the proposed methodology is very efficient in finding the optimal process and design parameters.     

Treatment of Department of Veterans Affairs primary care patients with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common among Veterans Affairs (VA) primary care patients and may be managed via multiple treatment pathways. Using the Behavioral Model of Health Service Use (Anderson, 1995), this retrospective study based on medical chart review examined factors associated with three types of mental health treatment: intervention by a 1) primary care provider (PCP), 2) primary care-mental health integration (PC-MHI) provider, and 3) specialty mental health (SMH) provider. A second goal was to describe PTSD treatment services for patients not receiving SMH by detailing the content of mental health treatment provided by PCPs and PC-MHI providers. Electronic medical record data for a five year time period for 133 Veterans were randomly selected for review from a population 6,637 primary care patients with PTSD. Results indicated that the evaluated needs of participants (i.e., number of unique medical and psychiatric disorders) were associated with Veterans receiving more intensive services (i.e., SMH). PCPs commonly addressed patients' mental health concerns, but patients often declined referrals for mental health treatment. PC-MHI consultations most often focused on medication management and supportive psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)