Impact of BSA and casein on chemical modification of muga silk fiber

The study reports on the effects of bovine serum albumin and casein on grafting of muga (Antheraea assamensis Helfer) silk fibers using initiator 2,2’ azobisisobutyronitrile. FTIR studies confirm the chemical binding of the proteins onto muga fibers through shifting of the major amide bonds, accredited to grafting. Scanning electron microscopy imaging reveals rugged morphology of the grafted fibers, due to the imprints of granular proteins. Tensile strength of the fibers increases with the augmentation in grafting percent. The grafted fibers showed no loss in weight after chemical resistance measurement indicating stable bond formation between the proteins and the fibers. Moreover, the water retention capacity and dynamic contact angle study of grafted fibers suggest better hydrophobicity. Thus, the use of such eco-friendly grafting agents for enhancing the strength and stability of silk fiber proves to be more beneficial than to other chemical grafting agents in producing efficient and environment-friendly silk for various applications in textile and other biomaterial fields.     

HMMs for diagnostics and prognostics in machining processes

Despite considerable advances over the last two decades in sensing instrumentation and information technology infrastructure, monitoring and diagnostics technology has not yet found its place in health management of mainstream machinery and equipment. This is in spite of numerous studies reporting that the expected savings from widespread deployment of condition-based maintenance (CBM) technology would be in the tens of billions of dollars in many industrial sectors as well as in governmental agencies. It turns out that a prerequisite to widespread deployment of CBM technology and practice in industry is cost efficient and effective diagnostics and prognostics. This paper presents a novel method for employing hidden Markov models (HMMs) for carrying out both diagnostic as well as prognostic activities for metal cutting tools. The methods employ HMMs for modelling sensor signals emanating from the machine (or features thereof), and in turn, identify the health state of the cutting tool as well as facilitate estimation of remaining useful life. This paper also investigates some of the underlying issues of proper HMM design and training for the express purpose of effective diagnostics and prognostics. The proposed methods were validated on a physical test-bed, a vertical drilling machine. Experimental results are very promising.     

Achieving the Best Yield in Glycolipid Biosurfactant Preparation by Selecting the Proper Carbon/Nitrogen Ratio

Pseudomonas aeruginosa RS29, the native biosurfactant-producing strain isolated from the oil fields of Assam, India was used to investigate the influence of the carbon nitrogen ratio on production of the biosurfactant. The biosurfactant producing ability of the strain was measured based on surface tension (ST) reduction of the culture medium and the emulsification (E24) index. Production was greatly influenced by the sources of nitrogen and carbon as well as the carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio. Sodium nitrate was the best nitrogen source and the water miscible carbon source, glycerol was observed as the best carbon source for maximum biosurfactant production. The C/N ratio 12.5 allowed the maximum production of biosurfactant by the RS29 strain. At this C/N ratio, 55 % ST of the culture medium was reduced by the produced biosurfactant. Concentrations of crude and rhamnolipid biosurfactant obtained at this particular C/N ratio were 5.6 and 0.8 g/l respectively. The RS29 strain was novel as it was able to produce a sufficient amount of biosurfactant utilizing a much lower amount of the water miscible carbon source, glycerol. Extraction of the biosurfactant by a chloroform–methanol (2:1) mixture was the best method to obtain the highest biosurfactant from the culture medium of the strain. The biosurfactant was confirmed as a mixture of mono and di-rhamnolipid congeners, Rha–C₁₀–C₁₀–CH₃ being the most abundant one. The biosurfactant was a good foaming and emulsifying agent.     

Structural Variations in Coordination Polymers of Sodium and Cesium Dicarboxylates

The coordination polymer {[Na₂L(μ-H₂O)(H₂O)₃]·H₂O} _n (1) derived from 2,2′-(phenylmethylidene-bis(3,5-methyl-2-phenyleneoxy)] diacetic acid (H₂ L) has repeat units comprising of hexa-coordinate diaqua-bridged dinuclear sodium complex ions. These units are connected through intervening mononuclear complex parts having penta-coordinated sodium ions. The sodium ions adopt repeated hexameric chair-like arrangement in the polymer. The cesium salt of H₂ L namely [Cs(HL)(μ-H₂O)(H₂O)] _n (2) is a coordination polymer. In this case one acid group of the ligand is deprotonated and 2 form self-assembly by intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the free carboxylic acid groups. The fluoro-substituted ligand 2,2′-(2-fluorophenylmethyledene-bis(3,5-methyl-2-phenyleneoxy)] diacetic acid (H ₂ L _f ) forms disodium salt with a composition [{Na₂L_f(μ-H₂O)(H₂O)₃}·H₂O] _n (3); which is a two dimensional coordination polymer. On the other hand the corresponding cesium salt of H ₂ L _f has a composition [{(H₂O)Cs(μ-H₂O)(μ-L_f)Cs(H₂O)₂}] (4); which is also a 2-D coordination polymer. The cesium ions are six or nine coordinate in the polymer and the coordination polymer possesses unusual Cs···F–C coordination bond.     

Assessment of hydropower potential using GIS and hydrological modeling technique in Kopili River basin in Assam (India)

A hilly watershed in Kopili River basin in Assam (India) was considered for assessment of hydropower potential using spatial tool (GIS) and hydrological model (SWAT2000). The available data related to topography, soil, land use, weather and discharge pertaining to the study watershed were used to characterize the watershed. The characterization was required for water resources hence hydropower assessment. The hydrology of the study watershed was simulated through the model. The prediction accuracy of the model was confirmed through three well known efficiency criteria viz., coefficient of determination (R² = 0.70), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (E = 0.64) and Index of agreement (d = 0.91). A total of 107 sites on 9 streams could be identified as potential location for hydropower generation in the study watershed using the model outputs. Distributed power availability through micro units (<0.5 MW) has been the characteristic feature of the watershed. Estimated potential carbon emission reduction (CER) within the watershed might be up to 125 thousand t CO₂, even 50% of the potential hydropower of the 1204 sq km watershed could be implemented. The result of the study is expected to boost the initiative for hydropower generation in the region considering the limitation of fossil fuels, increasing power demand and availability of untapped water resources.     

Fractal Web Design of a Hemispherical Photodetector Array with Organic-Dye-Sensitized Graphene Hybrid Composites

The vision system of arthropods consists of a dense array of individual photodetecting elements across a curvilinear surface. This compound-eye architecture could be a useful model for optoelectronic sensing devices that require a large field of view and high sensitivity to motion. Strategies that aim to mimic the compound-eye architecture involve integrating photodetector pixels with a curved microlens, but their fabrication on a curvilinear surface is challenged by the use of standard microfabrication processes that are traditionally designed for planar, rigid substrates (e.g., Si wafers). Here, a fractal web design of a hemispherical photodetector array that contains an organic-dye-sensitized graphene hybrid composite is reported to serve as an effective photoactive component with enhanced light-absorbing capabilities. The device is first fabricated on a planar Si wafer at the microscale and then transferred to transparent hemispherical domes with different curvatures in a deterministic manner. The unique structural property of the fractal web design provides protection of the device from damage by effectively tolerating various external loads. Comprehensive experimental and computational studies reveal the essential design features and optoelectronic properties of the device, followed by the evaluation of its utility in the measurement of both the direction and intensity of incident light.     

Optimal scheduling of measurement-based parallel real-time tasks

Real-Time Systems - In this work we consider a measurement-based model for parallel real-time tasks represented by the work and span parameters of directed acyclic graphs, with different bounds for...     

Nanoarchitectonics of Crosslinked Cu:ZnS-Lignocellulose Nanocomposite: A Potent Antifungal and Antisporulant System Against the Tea Pathogen Exobasidium vexans

The objective of the present study was to synthesize Cu doped ZnS nanocore crosslinked with lignocellulose (represented as Cu:ZnS-lignocellulose nanocomposite) for antifungal action against the devastating tea blister blight pathogen Exobasidium vexans. The characteristic features of the nanocomposite were analyzed via different physicochemical techniques like FTIR, XRD, XPS, SEM, SEM–EDX, Elemental mapping, PCS, and UV-PL studies. The FTIR and XPS investigations revealed the crosslinking between lignocellulose and the Cu:ZnS. The presence of lignocellulose was seen to attribute a potent antifungal efficacy, also enhancing the stability of the resulting nanocomposite in aqueous suspensions. The antifungal efficacy confirmed through disk diffusion and broth dilution assays have a maximum zone of inhibition of 1.75 cm² and a MIC50 of 0.05 mg/ml against E. vexans. Additionally, the antisporulant activity was evident as the basidiospores failed to germinate in presence of the Cu:ZnS-lignocellulose nanocomposites. This shows potential for stemming the rapid infectivity of E. vexans by achieving disease inhibition at the early stage. Finally, the comparison with two commonly used commercial fungicides (copper oxychloride and fluconazole) demonstrated?>?tenfold higher antifungal activity for Cu:ZnS-lignocellulose nanocomposites.

Graphical abstract