Electronic Properties of ZnO: Band Structure and Directional Compton Profiles

The electronic band structure and directional Compton profiles (DCPs) of ZnO are studied in this work. Calculations are performed considering a set of three schemes based on density functional theory (DFT), the Hartree–Fock (HF) method, and a hybrid scheme. All band structures predict direct bandgaps. The best agreement with experiment is, however, shown by the hybrid scheme. The three schemes are also applied to compute DCPs along [100], [110], and [001] directions. These are compared with measurements made on single crystals of ZnO employing a 59.54 keV gamma-ray Compton spectrometer. Calculations overestimate the momentum density in the low-momentum region while underestimate the anisotropies. Positions of extremes in anisotropies deduced from calculations are well reproduced by the measured anisotropies in some cases. Within the experimental limits, the DCPs from the HF method are in better agreement with the measurements compared with DFT.     

Can there be quantum correlations in a mixture of two separable states?

Abstract

We use a recently proposed measure of quantum correlations (work deficit) to measure the strength of the non-locality of an equal mixture of two bipartite orthogonal but locally indistinguishable separable states. This gives supporting evidence for a non-zero value of a separable state for this measure of non-locality. We show that a different order imposed on two states by the work deficit and any entanglement measure cannot be explained by mixedness alone.     

Synthesis of a novel pH‐sensitive polyurethane–alginate blend with poly(ethylene terephthalate) waste for the oral delivery of protein

With the aim of using poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste for the synthesis of a value added product, we prepared polyurethane (PU) from bishydrohxyethylene terephthalate (BHET), a byproduct obtained from the glycolysis of PET. Biodegradable, water‐swelling PU was synthesized by the reaction of BHET, hexamethylene diisocyanate, and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Both BHET and PU were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the formation of PU was further confirmed by NMR analysis. The swelling behavior of PU in water was examined in terms of the various molecular weights of PEG. Semi‐interpenetrating network beads of PU and sodium alginate were prepared with calcium chloride (CaCl₂) as a crosslinker to attain a pH sensitivity for successful oral protein/drug delivery. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as a model protein. The pH‐responsive swelling behavior and protein (BSA) release kinetics in different pH media corresponding to the gastrointestinal tract (pH 1.2 and 7.4) were investigated. The degree of swelling in the case of the PU–alginate beads at pH 1.2 was found to be at a minimum, whereas the degree of swelling was significantly elevated (1080%) at pH 7.4. This substantiated the pH sensitivity of the polymeric beads with a minimum loss of encapsulated protein in the stomach and the almost complete release of encapsulated protein in the intestine. This revealed good opportunities for oral protein/drug delivery with a polymer derived from waste PET. Moreover, the fungal biodegradation study confirmed its compatibility with the ecological system. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40650.     

An Alternative Rotational Delivery Schedule for Improved Performance of Reservoir-based Canal Irrigation System

Alternative delivery scheduling approaches were tried to overcome the problem of low efficiency in eastern Indian irrigation projects. The features of the existing delivery schedules in the Left Bank Feeder Canal (LBFC) system of Kangsabati irrigation project, located in the state of West Bengal, India, have been studied. Four simulation scenarios were considered in the study. These are (1) actual canal scheduling with original transplanting date (S1), (2) Integrated Reservoir-based Canal Irrigation Model (IRCIM) scheduling for usual transplanting date (S2), (3) IRCIM scheduling for 5 days advanced transplanting date (S3), and (4) IRCIM scheduling for 5 days lagged transplanting date (S4). An attempt was made to develop a year-independent alternative delivery schedule based on the analysis of 11 years simulation results with all the above scenarios. For maximum number of simulation years, model performance was better for paddy transplanted on July 24, three irrigations from the reservoir between transplanting and harvesting, and restricting the release to minimum rule curve (MRC), i.e., maintaining the stage on any day above the minimum stage actually found in 16 years period. Hence, it was proposed as the year-independent alternative delivery schedule. This alternative delivery schedule saved 18.36% irrigation water over actual schedules, but increased the crop evapotranspiration by 0.61%. The proposed alternative delivery schedule also considered both the expected dry spells as well as critical growth periods of the crop during the simulation period. Thus, it was recommended to adopt the alternative delivery schedule instead of existing delivery schedule in the future years for the LBFC system of Kangsabati irrigation project.     

Validation of a 2 percent lactic acid antimicrobial rinse for mobile poultry slaughter operations

Poultry processing antimicrobial interventions are critical for pathogen control, and organic, mobile operations in Washington seek alternatives to chlorine. Laboratory and field studies (three replications each) evaluated lactic acid efficacy as a chlorine alternative. For the laboratory study, retail-purchased, conventionally processed chicken wings inoculated with Salmonella were randomly assigned to the following treatments: Salmonella inoculation followed by no treatment (10 wings) or by 3-min rinses of water, 50 to 100 ppm of chlorine, or 2% lactic acid (20 wings for each rinse treatment). Wings were sampled for Salmonella enumeration on xylose lysine desoxycholate agar. During pastured poultry processing at mobile slaughter units for each field study replication, 20 chicken carcasses were randomly assigned to each treatment: untreated control or 3-min immersion in lactic acid or chlorine. Whole-carcass rinses were examined for aerobic plate count (APC) on tryptic soy agar and coliforms on violet red bile agar. Untreated controls were also examined for Salmonella. In the laboratory study, lactic acid produced a significant (P < 0.01) Salmonella reduction compared with the inoculated no-rinse, water, and chlorine treatments, which were statistically similar to each other. In the field study, no Salmonella was detected on untreated controls. Lactic acid produced significant >2-log (P < 0.01) reductions in APC and coliforms, whereas chlorine resulted in slight, but significant 0.4-log reductions (P < 0.01) and 0.21-log reductions (P < 0.05) in APC and coliforms compared with untreated controls. Considering laboratory and field studies, lactic acid produced greater reductions in Salmonella, APC, and coliforms, validating its effectiveness as a chlorine alternative in mobile poultry slaughter operations.     

Optimization of electrolytic input power for the production of hydrogen

In this paper, effect of input voltage to the electrodes on hydrogen production rate (HPR) and efficiency (η)$(\eta )$ of hydrogen production was studied. The input DC voltage to the cell was maintained at 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, 2.0, 2.2, 2.4, 3.0, 6.0, 9.0 and 12.0 V. The optimum input voltage was found between 2.0 and 2.4 V for the best efficiency. The extra-over potential voltage to the electrodes would be the cause of energy loss through heat. Sensitivity analysis of the system for voltage with respect to HPR has been carried out and the results are also presented in the paper.     

Neuro-Fuzzy Based Intrusion Detection System for Wireless Sensor Network

Wireless Personal Communications - Malicious attacks like denial-of-service massively affect the network activities of wireless sensor network. These attacks exploit network layer vulnerabilities...     

Mechanical behavior of anodic alumina coatings reinforced with carbon nanofibers

Anodic alumina was reinforced with three types of carbon nanofibers differing in the orientation of their graphene structure—perpendicular to the fiber axis, and parallel to the fiber axis both with dense core and hollow core (i.e., nanotubes). This study was designed to identify potential toughening and damage tolerant mechanisms in these nanoscale fiber-reinforced composite coatings. The dense carbon fibers improved contact damage resistance and reduced frictional resistance in sliding contacts. The hollow core reinforcements were much more promising for improving the fracture toughness of the composite coatings.