Impact of applying pre-processing techniques for improving classification accuracy

Image denoising is a procedure aimed at removing noise from images while retaining as many important signal features as possible. Many images suffer from poor contrast due to inadequate illumination or finite sensitivity of the imaging device, electronic sensor noise or atmospheric disturbances. This paper proposes a hybrid directional lifting technique for image denoising to retain the original information present in the images. The primary objective of this paper is to show the impact of applying preprocessing techniques for improving classification accuracy. In order to classify the image accurately, effective preservation of edges and contour details of an image is essential. The discrete wavelet transform-based interpolation technique is developed for resolution enhancement. The image is then classified using support vector machine classifier, which is well suitable for image classification. The efficiency of the classifier is analyzed based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The quantitative performance measures peak signal to noise ratio and ROC analysis show the significance of the proposed techniques.     

Solid oxide fuel cell with compositionally graded cathode functional layer deposited by pressure assisted dual-suspension spraying

In this work, the benefit of compositionally grading a cathode functional layer (CFL) for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is explored. Cells are prepared wherein either a standard cathode functional layer (SCFL) or a linearly compositionally graded cathode functional layer (CGCFL) is placed between the cell electrolyte and cathode current collecting regions. The electrochemical performance of these cells is compared with a SOFC cell containing no CFL. All cells are fabricated using a pressurized dual-suspension spraying system. Electrolytes, cathode functional layer, and cathode current collecting materials are deposited on a powder compacted anode support. SEM and EDAX area maps are taken to study the resulting micro-structures and to verify that the desired CFL profiles are produced. The EDAX area map verifies that a compositionally graded CFL and a SCFL are obtained. The cells are analyzed using impedance spectroscopy to evaluate the electrochemical performances of each cell. The open circuit voltage (OCV) and peak power densities of all three cells are 1.04 V with 80 mW cm⁻², 1.12 V with 108 mW cm⁻², and 1.08 V with 193 mW cm⁻² at 850 °C for the SCFL cell, the cell without a CFL, and the compositionally graded CFL cell respectively. The results show that this approach is a viable means for producing SOFC functional layers with unique composition and interfacial properties.     

Protic Ionic Liquid Assisted Synthesis and Characterization of Ferromagnetic Cobalt Oxide Nanocatalyst

Cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) nanocatalyst was synthesized by sol-gel method using the protic ionic liquid namely 1-butylimidazolium glycolate as solvent and stabilizer. The obtained Co₃O₄ nanocatalyst was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared, High resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Selected area electron diffraction, UV–Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Photoluminescence spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area and Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Powder XRD results showed the well-crystalline cubic structure of synthesized Co₃O₄ with size of 19.29 nm. Also, the sphere-like morphology of Co₃O₄ nanocatalyst was confirmed by HR-SEM and HR-TEM images. Furthermore, the synthesized Co₃O₄ nanocatalyst possessed optical band gap values of 1.75 and 2.46 eV and hence acted as a semiconducting material. In addition, the presence of small hysteresis loop in Magnetic measurement (VSM) confirmed the ferromagnetic nature of Co₃O₄ nanoparticles. Moreover, the synthesized Co₃O₄ nanocatalyst found to be used in photo-catalytic degradation of methylene blue and exhibited 94.61% efficiency.     

Solar photocatalytic detoxification of cyanide by different forms of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The photocatalytic efficiencies of TiO₂ nanocrystals of different modifications (anatase, rutile, P25 Degussa, Hombikat), to oxidize cyanide ion and subsequently the cyanate also, under natural sunlight at 950±25W m⁻² in alkaline solution have been compared. The oxides have been characterized by powder XRD, UV-visible diffuse reflectance and impedance spectroscopies. Under identical solar irradiance, the reaction follows Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics on cyanide, and depends on the apparent area of the catalyst bed and dissolved oxygen. However, the adsorption of cyanide on TiO₂ in dark is too small to be measured analytically. The photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ is not solely governed by the band gap or charge-transfer resistance or capacitance or phase composition but is in accordance with the specific surface area or the average crystallite size; rutile is an exception.     

Iron‐Catalyzed Direct Synthesis of Amides from Methylarenes

An efficient, green and first catalytic process has been developed for the direct synthesis of amides from readily available petroleum by‐products (methylarenes) and amines using an iron catalyst. In this new catalytic reaction, the methyl group of the methylarene is oxidized to the corresponding aldehyde through non‐directed C H oxidation followed by its oxidative amidation with N‐chloroamine, yielding the carboxylic amide. Oxidation with an iron catalyst, tert‐butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as sole oxidant, the synthesis of amides under mild reaction conditions and the utilization of methylarenes as starting material make this methodology novel and environmentally benign.

     

Space‐time block coded spatial modulation with labeling diversity

Space‐time block coded spatial modulation (STBC‐SM) exploits the advantages of both spatial modulation and the Alamouti space‐time block code. Meanwhile, space‐time labeling diversity has demonstrated an improved bit error rate (BER) performance in comparison to the latter. Hence, in this paper, we extend the application of labeling diversity to STBC‐SM, which is termed STBC‐SM‐LD. Under identical channel assumptions, STBC‐SM‐LD exhibits superior BER performance compared to STBC‐SM. For example, with 4 × 4, 64‐quadrature amplitude modulation (64‐QAM), STBC‐SM‐LD has a BER performance gain of approximately 2.6 dB over STBC‐SM. Moreover, an asymptotic bound is presented to quantify the average BER performance of M‐ary QAM STBC‐SM‐LD over independent and identically distributed Rayleigh frequency‐flat fading channels. Monte Carlo simulations for STBC‐SM‐LD agree well with the analytical framework. In addition to the above, low‐complexity (LC) near‐maximum‐likelihood detectors for space‐time labeling diversity and STBC‐SM‐LD are presented. Complexity analysis of the proposed LC detectors shows a substantial reduction in computational complexity compared to their ML detector counterparts. For example, the proposed detector for STBC‐SM‐LD achieves a 91.9% drop in computational complexity for a 4 × 4, 64‐QAM system. The simulations further validate the near‐maximum‐likelihood performance of the LC detectors.     

Protein Folding in the Presence of Water‐Soluble Cyclic Diselenides with Novel Oxidoreductase and Isomerase Activities

The protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) family, found in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of the eukaryotic cell, catalyzes the formation and cleavage of disulfide bonds and thereby helps in protein folding. A decrease in PDI activity under ER stress conditions leads to protein misfolding, which is responsible for the progression of various human diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes mellitus, and atherosclerosis. Here we report that water‐soluble cyclic diselenides mimic the multifunctional activity of the PDI family by facilitating oxidative folding, disulfide formation/reduction, and repair of the scrambled disulfide bonds in misfolded proteins.