Formalizing real-time scheduling using priority-based supervisory control of discrete-event systems

In this note, we formalize real-time task scheduling by applying an extension of supervisory control theory (SCT) of discrete-event systems to real-time models. The set of all possible timed traces of the system is specified by a discrete timed automaton where each transition is associated with an event occurrence or the passage of one unit of time. We introduce priorities to SCT, and apply them to the setting of discrete timed automata in order to develop a formal and unified framework for task scheduling on a single CPU.     

Saturated fatty acid adsorption by acidified rice hull ash

Rice hull ash (RHA) was treated with 1.0 M HNO₃ (RHA-A1) and another batch was treated with 14.0 M HNO₃ (RHA-A14). RHA-A1 and RHA-A14 had a pH of 6.58 and 6.13, respectively. Adsorption of saturated fatty acids (C₈, C₁₀, C₁₂, C₁₄, C₁₆, and C₁₈) was carried out on RHA-A1 and RHA-A14 at 32±1°C. The adsorption data conformed to the Langmuir isotherm. The specific surface area of RHA-A1 was 183.84 m² g⁻¹ while that of RHA-A14 was 174.67 m² g⁻¹. The specific pore volume of RHA-A1 was 0.216 cm³ g⁻¹ while that of RHA-A14 was 0.234 cm³ g⁻¹. The acid-treated ash, RHA-A14 (q _m =0.43±0.03 mmol g⁻¹ where q _m is the amount of adsorbate adsorbed to form a monolayer coverage on the ash particles) showed a twofold increase in the adsorption of fatty acid per gram ash compared to RHA-A1 (q _m =0.25±0.03 mmol g⁻¹). The free energy of adsorption, ΔG° _ads, was determined to be −7.06±0.10 and −6.75±0.11 kcal mol⁻¹ for RHA-A1 and RHA-A14, respectively. The reduced ΔG° _ads values observed for RHA-A14 were attributed to the electrostatic repulsion of the hydrophobic chain of the fatty acid adsorbed on adjacent sites and brought into close proximity of each other. The ΔG° _ads values showed that the process of adsorption took place through physisorption on both RHA.     

Convective Drying of Ganoderma tsugae Murrill and Effect of Temperature on Basidiospores

In this study, drying of Ganoderma tsugae Murrill slices was carried out at different temperatures in a hot air circulating oven. The objectives were to investigate the drying characteristic and drying kinetics of the Ganoderma slices under constant air velocity and slice thickness. In addition, the effect of drying temperatures on the size and surface structure of Ganoderma tsugae basidiospores were studied. Using statistical analysis, a two-term model was found to fit best with the experimental data. Convective drying of Ganoderma tsugae slices at 60°C shows the minimum heat deformation to the size and surface structure of basidiospores.     

Spray dried solid dispersions of piroxicam in carboxymethyl sago cellulose using aqueous solvents: A simple,novel and green approach to produce enteric microparticles with enhanced dissolution

Piroxicam-CMSC solid dispersions were produced by spray drying from aqueous solvents. Depending on the drug-polymer ratio, loading and entrapment efficiency of CMSC microparticles were 6.8–46.75 and 40.79–60.35% w/w, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy revealed non-spherical geometry and agglomeration of the spray-dried particles. The average size of the particles ranged from 7 to 170?µm. Infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction confirmed intact crystalline piroxicam in the microparticles. In gastric pH, microparticles and native piroxicam have shown less than 25% and more than 45% of drug dissolution, respectively in 2?h. In contrast, at pH 7.4, microparticles have shown 80% of drug dissolution; whereas native piroxicam achieved only 30% of dissolution by 30?min. The spray-dried CMSC particles are efficient in restricting drug release in gastric pH and enhance drug dissolution in intestinal pH. The method is eco-friendly as it uses aqueous solvents and non-toxic materials.     

Screening and Evaluation of Polyhydroxybutyrate-Producing Strains from Indigenous Isolate Cupriavidus taiwanensis Strains

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a biodegradable material with many potential biomedical applications, including medical implants and drug delivery. This study developed a system for screening production strains in order to optimize PHA production in Cupriavidus taiwanensis 184, 185, 186, 187, 204, 208, 209 and Pseudomona oleovorans ATCC 29347. In this study, Sudan black B staining, Infrared (IR) and Gas Chromatography (GC) analysis indicated that the best strain for PHA synthesis is C. taiwanensis 184, which obtains polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). Cultivation of C. taiwanensis 184 under a pH of 7.0, at 30 °C, and at an agitation rate of 200 rpm, obtained a PHB content of 10% and PHB production of 0.14 g/L. The carbon and nitrogen types selected for analysis of PHB production by C. taiwanensis 184 were gluconic acid and NH(4)Cl, respectively. Optimal carbon/nitrogen ratio for PHB production was also determined. This study demonstrated a PHB content of 58.81% and a PHB production of 2.44 g/L when the carbon/nitrogen ratio of 8/1 was selected for C. taiwanensis 184. A two-stage fermentation strategy significantly enhanced PHB content and PHB production. Under a two-stage fermentation strategy with nutrient-limited conditions, C. taiwanensis 184 obtained a PHB content of 72% and a PHB concentration of 7 g/L. Finally, experimental results confirmed that optimizing the growth medium and fermentation conditions for cultivating the indigenous C. taiwanensis 184 strain substantially elevated PHB content from 10% to 72% and PHB production from 0.14 g/L to 7 g/L, respectively.     

Carboxymethyl sago pulp/carboxymethyl sago starch hydrogel: Effect of polymer mixing ratio and study of controlled drug release

Carboxymethyl sag o pulp (CMSP)/carboxymethyl sago starch (CMSS) hydrogel was synthesized by electron beam irradiation. In the series of hydrogels prepared, 40%/20% CMSP/CMSS hydrogel had the highest gel fraction. The swelling capacity of CMSP/CMSS hydrogel was found to be highest in distilled water, followed by pH 11, pH 7.4, and pH 1.2. Scanning Electron Microscope photographs revealed that the drug‐loaded hydrogel had a smoother surface than unloaded hydrogel. Fourier Transform Infrared and Differential Scanning Calorimetry analysis showed the absence of interaction between the hydrogels and the drug. All drug‐loaded hydrogels had drug encapsulation efficiency between 63% and 69%. CMSP/CMSS hydrogel swelled and allowed the release of drug at pH 7.4. These properties qualify the hydrogel as a potential candidate for controlled drug release at the ocular and colonic regions. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43652.     

Ontogenesis of textile face mask using cotton fabric by treating with red seaweeds extract for cosmetotextile applications

This study investigated the effective utilization of phenolic compounds present in red seaweeds such as Kappaphycus alvarezii and Acanthophora spicifera used for making textile face masks for anti-aging applications. To study the presence of functional and antioxidant compounds in the red seaweeds was assessed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and 2-2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging methods. The effect of red seaweed treated fabrics interaction with fibroblast populated collagen (FPC) layers was assessed using topographical analysis of field emission scanning electron microscope and the effect of red seaweed treated textile fabrics on comfort properties such as air permeability, water permeability, and wicking properties were studied. The measurement and analysis of FPC layer interaction with textile fabrics were assessed using contraction studies. The experimental result specifies that maximum antioxidant activity of 77 ± 0.17% inhibition achieved in the textile face mask. The air permeability, wickability and water permeable properties were slightly reduced for both red seaweed treated textile face mask fabrics compared with the untreated face mask.     

Influence of Metallic Substitutions on the Optical and Mechanical Properties of NLO Benzoyl Glycine Crystals

Benzoyl glycine （BG） is a promising organic nonlinear optical （NLO） crystal, whose second harmonic generation （SHG） efficiency is much higher than that of KDP （potassium dihydrogen phosphate）. Single crystals of pure, Cu2＋ and Cd2＋ doped BG were grown by slow evaporation technique. Optically transparent and defect free single crystals of size up to 10 mm×15 mm×10 mm were harvested in a period of 40-60 days. The growth conditions of pure and doped crystals of BG were optimized and the grown crystals were confirmed by single crystal XRD （X-ray diffraction）. The grown crystals were characterized by FTIR （Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy）, optical absorption and microhardness studies. The microhardness studies confirm that BG has a moderate VHN （Vickers hardness number） value in comparison to the.other organic NLO crystals. The efficiency of frequency doubling was measured for the using Nd：YAG laser and the results were discussed.     

Adsorption of methylene blue onto powdered activated carbon immobilized in a carboxymethyl sago pulp hydrogel

The potential of crosslinked carboxymethyl sago pulp (CMSP) beads immobilized with powdered activated carbon (PAC) as an adsorbent for methylene blue (MB) adsorption was investigated. The finely powdered PAC had an excellent adsorption capacity for MB but was disadvantageous for the separation process from treated effluents. To ease the separation process, the CMSP medium could be advantageous for the process by acting an immobilizing medium for PAC. The MB adsorption reached equilibrium at the 14th hour, and further adsorption was studied to determine the effects of the CMSP concentration, PAC dosage, and pH. Different CMSP concentrations in the preparation of CMSP–PAC beads showed no significant differences; this proved that CMSP–PAC adsorbed more MB than CMSP did. The MB adsorption increased with increasing PAC concentration, whereas the CMSP–PAC beads disintegrated at pH 11.5. In the equilibrium study, the Langmuir isotherm fit well into the experimental data with a linear correlation coefficient (R ²) of 0.9837 and a maximum adsorption capacity of 250 mg/g. The kinetic study showed that pseudo‐second‐order kinetics accommodated the experimental data well with an R ² value of 0.9512 and a pseudo‐second‐order rate constant value of 3.61 × 10^?3 min^?1. The crosslinked CMSP–PAC beads have the potential to remove MB dye, and this could be exploited as an alternative to treating colored dye effluents produced by industries such as the textile, printing, and cosmetics industries. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44271.     

Facile Hydrogen Evolution Reaction on WO3 Nanorods

Tungsten trioxide nanorods have been generated by the thermal decomposition (450 °C) of tetrabutylammonium decatungstate. The synthesized tungsten trioxide (WO₃) nanorods have been characterized by XRD, Raman, SEM, TEM, HRTEM and cyclic voltammetry. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the synthesized WO₃ nanorods are crystalline in nature with monoclinic structure. The electrochemical experiments showed that they constitute a better electrocatalytic system for hydrogen evolution reaction in acid medium compared to their bulk counterpart.