Interfacial Reaction Enhanced Liquid-Phase Sintering of Metal/Oxide Soft Magnetic Composite

Soft magnetic composites (SMCs) are ungently demanded in high-frequency power electronics for their large magnetization and high electrical resistivity. However, traditional cold-pressed SMCs are faced with low mechanical strength and insulation instability, which severely restricts their applications. In this study, liquid-phase sintering techniques to prepare FeSiAl/MoO₃ SMCs are orginally employed, where consolidation and insulation of metallic magnetic particles are achieved in one step. The redox reaction between FeSiAl and MoO₃ melt greatly reduces the interfacial energy, facilitates fully wetting of FeSiAl particles by MoO₃ melt, and promotes the densification process during sintering. In the final FeSiAl/MoO₃ SMC, FeSiAl particles are bonded covalently and insulated electrically/magnetically by the resultant Al₂O₃ transition layer, endowing the SMC with high crushing strength of 250 MPa, cut-off frequency of 110 MHz, permeability of 35 (@1 MHz), and low power loss of 962 kW m⁻³ (5 MHz, 5 mT). This study provides alternative concept for designing new SMCs, and broadens the connotation and extension of liquid-phase sintering.     

A remote diagnosis of Parkinson's ailment using artificial intelligence based BPNN framework and cloud based storage architecture for securing data in cloud environment for the application of telecommunication technologies

Voice signal analysis and identification of disease framework for Parkinson's disease (PD) is most required thing in the past few years. A new framework for determination and identification of PD is the world's most severe neurological disorder, was proposed in this article. It is the most dangerous infection which disables individuals' discourse, and different attributes, for example feelings and sensation. In this work, we initially examined about a new approach for determining the PD. Second, we proposed cloud based storage architecture for securing data in cloud computing environment. Cloud based system for distinguishing and checking Parkinson infection will expand its significance in social insurance benefit in low asset setting and security examination. This structure guarantees effective handling of huge information in distributed computing condition and acquires business experiences. In the creating nations, where the greater part of the general population does not get appropriate social insurance benefits and are not concerned of Parkinson's sickness, not to mention recognizing and getting human services for PD, this framework can be extremely commonsense and helpful. The framework, PD affected patient can be effortlessly identified as well as analyzed by giving their voice tests over their telephones. The proposed frameworks are profited to accomplish 95.8% precision in the cloud condition for recognizing PD. It is normal that the proposed system will possibly empower social insurance benefit for PD patients, who live in remote territories.     

Template-Assisted Synthesis and Characterization of Passivated Nickel Nanoparticles

Potential applications of nickel nanoparticles demand the synthesis of self-protected nickel nanoparticles by different synthesis techniques. A novel and simple technique for the synthesis of self-protected nickel nanoparticles is realized by the inter-matrix synthesis of nickel nanoparticles by cation exchange reduction in two types of resins. Two different polymer templates namely strongly acidic cation exchange resins and weakly acidic cation exchange resins provided with cation exchange sites which can anchor metal cations by the ion exchange process are used. The nickel ions which are held at the cation exchange sites by ion fixation can be subsequently reduced to metal nanoparticles by using sodium borohydride as the reducing agent. The composites are cycled repeating the loading reduction cycle involved in the synthesis procedure. X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron microscopy, Energy Dispersive Spectrum, and Inductively Coupled Plasma Analysis are effectively utilized to investigate the different structural characteristics of the nanocomposites. The hysteresis loop parameters namely saturation magnetization and coercivity are measured using Vibrating Sample Magnetometer. The thermomagnetization study is also conducted to evaluate the Curie temperature values of the composites. The effect of cycling on the structural and magnetic characteristics of the two composites are dealt in detail. A comparison between the different characteristics of the two nanocomposites is also provided.     

Biosynthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using bacterium Bacillus subtilis

The present study reports a low-cost, new material, eco-friendly and reproducible microbes Bacillus subtilis mediated biosynthesis of TiO₂ nanoparticles. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles synthesized from titanium as a precursor, using the bacterium, B. subtilis. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized and confirmed as TiO₂ nanoparticles by using the UV spectroscopy, XRD, FTIR, AFM and SEM analysis. The morphological characteristics were found to be spherical, oval in shape, individual nanoparticles as well as a few aggregates having the size of 66–77 nm. The XRD shows the crystallographic plane of anatase of TiO₂ nanoparticles, indicating that nanoparticles structure dominantly correspond to anatase crystalline titanium dioxide.     

Epitaxial growth of the zinc oxide nanorods, their characterization and in vitro biocompatibility studies

Here, we have synthesized Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanorods at room temperature using zinc acetate and hexamethylenetetramine as precursors followed by characterization using X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infra red spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy. The growth of the synthesized ZnO was found to be very close to its hexagonal nature, which is confirmed by XRD. The nanorods were grown perpendicular to the long-axis and grew along the [001] direction, which is the nature of ZnO growth. The morphology of the synthesized ZnO nanorods was also confirmed by SEM. The size of the nanorod was estimated to be around 20-25?nm in diameter and approximately 50-60?nm in length. Our biocompatibility studies using synthesized ZnO showed no significant dose- or time-dependent increase in the formation of free radicals, accumulation of peroxidative products, antioxidant depletion or loss of cell viability on lung epithelial cells.     

A novel multistage vapor recompression reactive distillation system with intermediate reboilers

Most of the published studies have focused on the thermal integration of nonreactive distillation columns. The key limitation of reactive distillation (RD) technology is that the necessary conditions (such as pressure and temperature) for the reaction must match those of distillation. Owing to this constraint, the reaction conversion may be adversely affected at the elevated pressure in the reactive section of an internally heat integrated distillation column (HIDiC). This fact forces us to adopt an external heat integration approach for an industrial heterogeneously catalyzed ethyl tert‐butyl ether (ETBE) RD column. The direct vapor recompression column (VRC) is an external heat integration scheme that is successfully used as an energy efficient scheme for separating a close‐boiling mixture. Interestingly, there exists a large temperature difference between the two ends of the representative ETBE column, and it makes the external heat integration more challenging. Aiming to improve the thermal efficiency of the ETBE column under the VRC framework, various heat pump arrangements with intermediate reboiler(s) (IR(s)) are explored and analyzed with performing a comparative study in terms of energy consumption and economics. To improve further the thermal efficiency, in this contribution, a novel multistage vapor recompression RD column with IRs is introduced addressing a number of practical concerns. An algorithm for the proposed column is formulated showing the sequential steps involved in heat integration. It is inspected that the proposed multistage vapor recompression RD system appears overwhelmingly superior to the classical vapor recompression RD and its conventional stand alone column providing a significant savings in energy as well as cost. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 761–771, 2013     

Al-Doped Li[Ni0.78Co0.1Mn0.1Al0.02]O2 for High Performance of Lithium Ion Batteries

Li[NixCoyMnz]O₂ (NCM) layered materials have been successfully adopted in commercial lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The presence of higher Ni content in cathode materials helps to improve the capacity. However, increased cation mixing on the surface of layered material leads to unstable structure. Aluminium (Al) doping is known to enhance the performance of cathode material by rendering thermal and structural stability. In this article, we synthesize Li[Ni_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1]O₂ (Bare NCM811) and Li[Ni_0.78Co_0.1Mn_0.1Al_0.02]O₂ (Al-Doped NCM811) using simple co-precipitation process followed by calcination process. The electrochemical, morphological, and structural characteristics of the Al-Doped NCM811 are investigated and compared with the Bare NCM811. The discharge capacity of the Bare NCM811 and the Al-Doped NCM811 maintained 73.59% and 96.15% after the 100th cycle at a room temperature of 20?°C and 87.32% and 94.38% after the 50th cycle at an elevated temperature of 60?°C, respectively. The enhanced electrochemical performance of Al-Doped NCM811 is attributed to the improved thermal and structural properties of the electrode, as confirmed using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and particle compression tester (PCT).     

Comprehensive Evaluation of Biological Effects of Pentathiepins on Various Human Cancer Cell Lines and Insights into Their Mode of Action

Pentathiepins are polysulfur-containing compounds that exert antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity in cancer cells, induce oxidative stress and apoptosis, and inhibit glutathione peroxidase (GPx1). This renders them promising candidates for anticancer drug development. However, the biological effects and how they intertwine have not yet been systematically assessed in diverse cancer cell lines. In this study, six novel pentathiepins were synthesized to suit particular requirements such as fluorescent properties or improved water solubility. Structural elucidation by X-ray crystallography was successful for three derivatives. All six underwent extensive biological evaluation in 14 human cancer cell lines. These studies included investigating the inhibition of GPx1 and cell proliferation, cytotoxicity, and the induction of ROS and DNA strand breaks. Furthermore, selected hallmarks of apoptosis and the impact on cell cycle progression were studied. All six pentathiepins exerted high cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity, while five also strongly inhibited GPx1. There is a clear connection between the potential to provoke oxidative stress and damage to DNA in the form of single- and double-strand breaks. Additionally, these studies support apoptosis but not ferroptosis as the mechanism of cell death in some of the cell lines. As the various pentathiepins give rise to different biological responses, modulation of the biological effects depends on the distinct chemical structures fused to the sulfur ring. This may allow for an optimization of the anticancer activity of pentathiepins in the future.     

Introducing vapor recompression mechanism in heat‐integrated distillation column: Impact of internal energy driven intermediate and bottom reboiler

A novel combination of internally heat‐integrated distillation column (HIDiC) and vapor recompression column (VRC) with intermediate reboiler (IR) is proposed. Supplying heat at the highest temperature point (i.e., column bottom) of the VRC scheme is not thermodynamically favorable and, therefore, we aim to install the IR for better distribution of heat along the column length, thereby reducing the compressor work. Introducing IR in the combined HIDiC‐VRC system formulates an open‐loop variable manipulation policy to evaluate the comparative impact of internal and external heat sources on bottom liquid reboiling. With internal energy driven bottom reboiler, we further investigate the hybrid HIDiC‐VRCIR column with proposing the two modes of compressor arrangement, namely parallel and series. Finally, a multicomponent distillation system is exampled to show the promising potential of the proposed HIDiC‐VRCIR configurations in improving the energetic and economic performance over the HIDiC‐alone and HIDiC‐VRC schemes with reference to a conventional standalone column. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 118–131, 2015     

A Microfabricated Sandwiching Assay for Nanoliter and High‐Throughput Biomarker Screening

Cells secrete substances that are essential to the understanding of numerous immunological phenomena and are extensively used in clinical diagnoses. Countless techniques for screening of biomarker secretion in living cells have generated valuable information on cell function and physiology, but low volume and real‐time analysis is a bottleneck for a range of approaches. Here, a simple, highly sensitive assay using a high‐throughput micropillar and microwell array chip (MIMIC) platform is presented for monitoring of biomarkers secreted by cancer cells. The sensing element is a micropillar array that uses the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) mechanism to detect captured biomolecules. When integrated with a microwell array where few cells are localized, interleukin 8 (IL‐8) secretion can be monitored with nanoliter volume using multiple micropillar arrays. The trend of cell secretions measured using MIMICs matches the results from conventional ELISA well while it requires orders of magnitude less cells and volumes. Moreover, the proposed MIMIC is examined to be used as a drug screening platform by delivering drugs using micropillar arrays in combination with a microfluidic system and then detecting biomolecules from cells as exposed to drugs.