Seismic Fragility of Steel Piping System Based on Pipe Size,Coupling Type,and Wall Thickness

In this study, a probabilistic framework of the damage assessment of pipelines subjected to extreme hazard scenario was developed to mitigate the risk and enhance design reliability. Nonlinear 3D finite element models of T-joint systems were developed based on experimental tests with respect to leakage detection of black iron piping systems, and a damage assessment analysis of the vulnerability of their components according to nominal pipe size, coupling type, and wall thickness under seismic wave propagations was performed. The analysis results showed the 2-inch schedule 40 threaded T-joint system to be more fragile than the others with respect to the nominal pipe sizes. As for the coupling types, the data indicated that the probability of failure of the threaded T-joint coupling was significantly higher than that of the grooved type. Finally, the seismic capacity of the schedule 40 wall thickness was weaker than that of schedule 10 in the 4-inch grooved coupling, due to the difference in the prohibition of energy dissipation. Therefore, this assessment can contribute to the damage detection and financial losses due to failure of the joint piping system in a liquid pipeline, prior to the decision-making.     

A Novel Approach to Model Threshold Voltage and Subthreshold Current of Graded-Doped Junctionless-Gate-All-Around (GD-JL-GAA) MOSFETs

Silicon - This present article interprets the analytical models of central channel potential, the threshold voltage, and subthreshold current for Graded-Doped Junctionless-Gate-All-Around...     

Magneto-electro-elastic analysis of piezoelectric–flexoelectric nanobeams rested on silica aerogel foundation

This article explores that the study on bending of magneto-electric-elastic nanobeams relies on nonlocal elasticity theory. The Vlasov’s model foundation utilizes the silica aerogel foundation. The guiding expressions of nonlocal nanobeams in the considered framework are used extensively and where parabolic third-order beam theory is achieved after using Hamilton’s principle. Parametric work is introduced to scrutinize the influence of the magneto-electro-mechanical loadings, nonlocal parameter, and aspect ratio on the deflection characteristics of nanobeams. It is noticed that the boundary conditions, nonlocal parameter, and beam geometrical parameters have significant effects on dimensionless deflection of nanoscale beams.

     

Study on effect of diverse air inlet arrangement on thermal management of cylindrical lithium-ion cells

Lithium-ion cells are preferred in the electrical powertrain due to high-power density, compactness, and modularity. In real driving conditions, the cells undergo discharge rates as high as 4 C resulting in high heat generation affecting the performance. To obtain the maximum performance the pack construction and thermal management of cells are crucial parameters. In our work, air-cooled technique with diverse air inlet and staggered scheme with a two-channel partition approach for thermal management of the cylindrical lithium-ion cells are studied in computational fluid dynamics. The simulation model is validated with experimental results. The obtained results demonstrate that the cells in the dual-directional air inlet arrangement had low maximum temperature difference among and within the cells and required least fan work. This arrangement required least fan work to generate optimal air inlet velocity of 2 m/s for 1, 2, and 3 C and 4 m/s for 4 C discharge rates. There is a reduction of 50% and 33% fan work for 3 and 4 C discharge rates, which are the majority operating points. Also, it shows that the temperature uniformity within the cells has improved. The results of this study can used to optimize parameters for designing an enhanced thermal management system.     

Carvacrol and trans-Cinnamaldehyde Reduce Clostridium difficile Toxin Production and Cytotoxicity in Vitro

Clostridium difficile is a nosocomial pathogen that causes a serious toxin-mediated enteric disease in humans. Reducing C. difficile toxin production could significantly minimize its pathogenicity and improve disease outcomes in humans. This study investigated the efficacy of two, food-grade, plant-derived compounds, namely trans-cinnamaldehyde (TC) and carvacrol (CR) in reducing C. difficile toxin production and cytotoxicity in vitro. Three hypervirulent C. difficile isolates were grown with or without the sub-inhibitory concentrations of TC or CR, and the culture supernatant and the bacterial pellet were collected for total toxin quantitation, Vero cell cytotoxicity assay and RT-qPCR analysis of toxin-encoding genes. The effect of CR and TC on a codY mutant and wild type C. difficile was also investigated. Carvacrol and TC substantially reduced C. difficile toxin production and cytotoxicity on Vero cells. The plant compounds also significantly down-regulated toxin production genes. Carvacrol and TC did not inhibit toxin production in the codY mutant of C. difficile, suggesting a potential codY-mediated anti-toxigenic mechanism of the plant compounds. The antitoxigenic concentrations of CR and TC did not inhibit the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. Our results suggest that CR and TC could potentially be used to control C. difficile, and warrant future studies in vivo.     

Preparation of rice analogues using extrusion technology

Rice is considered as staple food in many parts of the world. An issue of concern is the breakage of rice kernels in milling processes, and these broken kernels are not generally accepted by consumers. These broken kernels can be mixed with some desired additives to improve their quality and extruded for the preparation of reconstituted rice kernels or rice analogues. Various studies have been conducted for the preparation of the rice analogues in the past few decades, and recently attempts have been made to fortify these analogues with protein, certain vitamins and minerals. The main features such as colour, shape, size, texture, and cooking characteristics and cooking time of these rice‐like grains can be tailored to the requirements of specific applications by modification of the extrusion parameters. Various organisations, such as Wuxi NutriRice Co. (DSM/Buhler) and China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporate (COFCO), Superlative Snacks Inc., Vigui and PATH, have utilised this technique to prepare fortified and reconstituted rice. Studies have shown that it is possible to improve the nutritional quality of rice by fortified rice analogues. This article reviews research results of the many approaches to the formation of fortified rice analogues by extrusion‐based technologies.     

Effective Moduli Evaluation of Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Polymers Using Micromechanics

A multistep homogenization method is adopted to compute the effective moduli of carbon nanotube reinforced composites. The composite is assumed to be reinforced with isolated individual fibers and clustered fibers. A uniform agglomeration model is introduced assuming constant carbon nanotube cluster size throughout the matrix. Agglomeration volume fraction—a critical parameter in the simulation—is considered to be an explicit function of inter-particle distance and quality of dispersion of fibers. The micromechanics model also incorporates random fiber orientation using a statistical approach. It is seen that these parameters reduce the stiffening effect of carbon nanotubes significantly in the composite.     

Effect of Ozone Pretreatment on Biodegradability Enhancement and Biogas Generation Potential From Biomethanated Distillery Effluent

The study evaluates the effect of ozone pretreatment on biodegradability enhancement of biomethanated distillery effluent. Results revealed that ozone pretreatment led to biodegradability index (BI = BOD/COD) enhancement up to 0.58 along with COD, color and toxicity reduction of up to 33%, 25% and 40%, respectively. Anaerobic digestion of pretreated effluent resulted in favorable biogas generation with methane content, yield and COD reduction of up to 62%, 39 mL/g COD and 57%, respectively. Kinetics of biogas generation determined by modified Gompertz model indicated methane production potential and production rate of 48.08 mL/g COD and 8.085 mL/g COD.day respectively under optimal conditions.