An optimized skin texture model using gray-level co-occurrence matrix

Neural Computing and Applications - Texture analysis is devised to address the weakness of color-based image segmentation models by considering the statistical and spatial relations among the group...     

Simulation of producer gas flameless combustion with fresh reactant diluted by hot flue gas

Flameless combustion is considered as a flexible and efficient combustion process for low heating value gas fuel. This paper presents numerical simulations of premixed flameless combustion using producer gas as a fuel. Different initial conditions of the premixed fresh reactant (air/fuel mixture) and dilution levels are taken into account for the investigation. The numerical simulations were investigated using a network of chemical reactor models with the detailed reaction mechanism of GRI‐Mech 3.0. A threshold dilution level for flameless combustion fuelled by producer gas was determined. The numerical results show that dilution of the fresh reactant with hot combustion products and initial fresh reactant temperature play important roles in flameless combustion formation and its auto‐ignition behaviour, rather than equivalence ratio of the fresh reactant. In the flameless combustion regime, temperature and chemical concentrations were reduced while chemical kinetics process was decelerated, resulting in delay of the auto‐ignition process.     

Temporal relation algebra for audiovisual content analysis

Multimedia Tools and Applications - The context of this work is to characterize the content and the structure of audiovisual documents by analysing the temporal relationships between basic events...     

Effects of feeding bentonite clay upon ochratoxin A–induced immunosuppression in broiler chicks

A presence of mycotoxins in feed is one of the most alarming issues in the poultry feed industry. Ochratoxins, produced by several Aspergillus and Penicillium species, are important mycotoxin regarding the health status of poultry birds. Ochratoxins are further classified into to several subtypes (A, B, C, etc) depending on their chemical structures, but ochratoxin A (OTA) is considered the most important and toxic. Bentonite clay, belonging to phyllosilicates and formed from weathering of volcanic ashes, has adsorbent ability for several mycotoxins. The present study was designed to study the effects of bentonite clay upon OTA-induced immunosuppression in broiler chicks. For this, 480 day-old broiler chicks were procured from a local hatchery and then different combinations of OTA (0.15, 0.3, or 1.0 mg/kg) and bentonite clay (5, 10, and 20 g/kg) were incorporated into their feed. At 13, 30, and 42 days of age, parameters such as antibody responses to sheep red blood cells, in situ lymphoproliferative responses to mitogen (PHA-P), and in situ phagocytic activity (i.e., via carbon clearance) were determined respectively. The results indicated there was a significant reduction of total antibody and immunoglobulin titres, lymphoproliferative responses, and phagocytic potential in OTA-treated birds, suggesting clear immunosuppression by OTA in birds in a dose-dependent manner. These results were also significantly lower in all combination groups (OTA with bentonite clay), suggesting few to no effects of feeding bentonite clay upon OTA- induced alterations in different immune parameters.     

Micro‐morphological,environmental and phytochemical investigation of herbal medicines by using LM and SEM: A quality control tool

The use of quality control tool for authentication of Jadwar (Delphinium denudatum Wall. ex Hook.f. & Thomson), a folk herbal drug used for the treatment of different ailments, was studied. People face problems of adulteration for this drug at global, regional, national and local levels. Two different plant species are commercially marketed in the Indo‐Pak Subcontinent under the same trade name of Jadwar. One is D. denudatum Wall. ex Hook.f. & Thomson and the other is Aconitum heterophyllum Wall. ex Royle. To focus on this problem, a marketable available drug sample of Jadwar was authenticated by using basic microscopy tools (LM) and advanced chemo‐taxonomic markers. Authentication, quality and standardization of this drug was achieved using morphology, organoleptography, UV and IR analyses, scanning electron microscopy of pollen and anatomical investigations. The techniques used for authentication marked the clear difference between the studied plants. Microscopic studies, chemotaxonomic investigation and other techniques used in this project provided the basis for the authentication of this species.     

Thermal Evaluation of Diesel/Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Blend

Thermal properties of fossil fuel are the key fundamental characteristics, which can distinguish any compound as a potential fuel. The performance of diesel fuel blend along with stability and solubility parameter designs are evaluated. The results from the experimental study indicate that the increase in hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) amount enhances the cetane number of diesel fuel blend significantly. However, the calorific value decreases as compared to pure diesel fuel. All values performed well according to the ASTM D‐975 diesel testing method. The thermodynamics of the prepared fuel blends also revealed that substantial solubility and diesel/H₂O₂ blend stability are provided even at lower temperatures. Such blends can be used as a feasible replacement of pure diesel fuel.     

Phase equilibria and dielectric properties of Bi3+(5/2)xMg2−xNb3–(3/2)xO14−x cubic pyrochlores

Subsolidus pyrochlores with the proposed formula, Bi_3+(5/2)xMg_2−xNb_3−(3/2)xO_14−x (0.14≤x≤0.22) were successfully synthesised at the firing temperature of 1025 °C using conventional solid-state reaction. The excess Bi³⁺ charge was offset by removal of relative proportion of Mg²⁺ and Nb⁵⁺ together with creation of oxygen non-stoichiometry in order to preserve electroneutrality of the system. These samples were crystallised in cubic structure with space group of Fd3m, No. 227 and their refined lattice parameters were in the range of 10.5706 (3)–10.5797 (7) Å. The surface morphologies of the samples as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy analysis were of irregular shaped grains while their crystallite sizes of ~30–85 nm were calculated using the Scherrer equation and the Williamson–Hall method. No thermal event was discernable indicating these pyrochlores were thermally stable within a studied temperature range of ~30–1000 °C. The recorded dielectric constants of Bi_3+(5/2)xMg_2−xNb_3−(3/2)xO_14−x (0.14≤x≤0.22) subsolidus pyrochlores were generally above ~160 and their dielectric losses were in the order of 10⁻⁴–10⁻³ at the frequency of 1 MHz and temperature of ~30 °C. Meanwhile, these ceramic samples also exhibited negative temperature coefficient of relative permittivity between −528 and −742 ppm/°C in the temperature range of ~30–300 °C.     

Development of Drug Delivery Systems Based on Layered Hydroxides for Nanomedicine

Layered hydroxides (LHs) have recently fascinated researchers due to their wide application in various fields. These inorganic nanoparticles, with excellent features as nanocarriers in drug delivery systems, have the potential to play an important role in healthcare. Owing to their outstanding ion-exchange capacity, many organic pharmaceutical drugs have been intercalated into the interlayer galleries of LHs and, consequently, novel nanodrugs or smart drugs may revolutionize in the treatment of diseases. Layered hydroxides, as green nanoreservoirs with sustained drug release and cell targeting properties hold great promise of improving health and prolonging life.     

New approach to mimic rheological actual shear rate under wall slip condition

Engineering with Computers - The presence of wall slip in concentrated suspensions affect the rheological measurements such as shear stress, shear rate, and viscosity. The measured shear rate will...