Theoretical study of temperature induced transition and hyper stability of collagen mimics

Collagen a polymer, is the nature's most abundant protein. It has an immense tensile strength and is the main constituent of ligaments, tendons, etc. The present communication interprets the experimental data of thermally induced transition in collagen mimics as reported by Steven K. Holmgren and co-workers. The theoretical transition curves as obtained by the modified Zimm and Bragg model are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data. The order of the values of nucleation parameter and enthalpy changes obtained theoretically, attributes the increase in the degree of the stability of collagen mimics [(Pro-Pro-Gly)₁₀〈(Pro-Hyp-Gly)₁₀〈(Pro-Flp-Gly)₁₀].     

Evolution of a Nanocrystalline (Co,Ni)Al2O4 Spinel Phase from Quasicrystalline Precursor

This work reports on the synthesis of a spinel phase from a thermodynamically stable decagonal quasicrystalline Al₇₀Co₁₅Ni₁₅ alloy. The Al₇₀Co₁₅Ni₁₅ alloy, synthesized through slow cooling of the molten alloy, was subjected to milling in an attritor ball mill at 400 rpm for 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 h with a ball to powder ratio of 20:1 in the hexane medium. The differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy techniques have been used for characterization of milled as well as annealed powders. The Voigt function analysis has been used for calculation of the effective crystallite size and relative strain of ball-milled samples. The crystallite size has been found to be ∼14 nm after 40 h of milling along with a lattice strain of 8.1%. The annealing experiments have been carried out under two different conditions: (i) in vacuum and (ii) in air. The results of the present investigation clearly revealed that the nano-decagonal phase was stable in vacuum while annealing at 600°C for 40 h. However, during annealing under a similar condition in air, the formation of a nanospinel of (Ni,Co)Al₂O₄ of size ∼60 nm was identified. The possible structural evolution of the spinel from the quasicrystalline phase has been discussed.     

Tools to support mesh adaptation on massively parallel computers

The scalable execution of parallel adaptive analyses requires the application of dynamic load balancing to repartition the mesh into a set of parts with balanced work load and minimal communication. As the adaptive meshes being generated reach billions of elements and the analyses are performed on massively parallel computers with 100,000??s of computing cores, a number of complexities arise that need to be addressed. This paper presents procedures developed to deal with two of them. The first is a procedure to support multiple parts per processor which is used as the mesh increases in size and it is desirable to partition the mesh to a larger number of computing cores than are currently being used. The second is a predictive load balancing method that sets entity weights before dynamic load balancing steps so that the mesh is well balanced after the mesh adaptation step thus avoiding excessive memory spikes that would otherwise occur during mesh adaptation.     

Optimization of process parameters and mathematical modelling for dehulling of pigeonpea

In this study, hulling efficiency and hulling losses were optimised for pigeonpea. Effects of hulling time, moisture content and cottonseed oil as pre-milling agent were studied and optimised using response surface methodology. A quadratic model satisfactorily described the hulling efficiency with an R ² value of 0.93. It predicted maximum dehulling efficiency of 89.98% at 9.82% moisture content (wet basis), 12.05-s time of hulling and 0.28% cottonseed oil treatment. Linear model developed for hulling loss showed significant effect of time of hulling whereas effect of oil treatment and moisture content were non-significant. The model predicted hulling loss of 2.92% on optimum conditions. The results of the model were validated experimentally and were within the range.     

Thermodynamic analysis of steam-injected gas turbine cycle power plant with inlet air cooling

Steam-injected gas turbine cycle is the modified arrangement of simple gas turbine (GT) cycle, wherein part of steam generated in a heat recovery steam generator is injected into the combustion chamber to increase power output and the efficiency. This paper studies the effect of integration of inlet air cooling, steam injection (SI) and film cooling (FC) on the performance of GT cycle. Two different methods for cooling the inlet air, namely inlet fogging and evaporative cooling, are considered for analysis here. Results show that the inlet fogging is better than evaporative cooling to achieve the lowest temperature at the compressor inlet. Thermodynamic performance of simple GT cycle is also compared with SI in GT cycle. The present study shows that GT cycle with integration of inlet fogging, SI and FC is a better configuration for achieving higher performance.     

Ethanol and LPG sensing characteristics of SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> activated Cr<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> thick film sensor

The sensing response of pure and SnO₂ activated Cr₂O₃ to ethanol vapours and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has been investigated. Fine particles of commercial chromium oxide powder were selected and deposited as thick film to act as a gas sensor. The sensor surface has been activated by tin dioxide, on surface oxidation of tin chloride. The concentration of tin chloride solution, used as activator, was varied from 0 to 5% and its effect on gas response, selectivity and operating temperature has been studied. It was found that response to ethanol vapours significantly improved, whereas response to LPG remained unaffected. Moreover, operating temperature remains unchanged both for LPG and ethanol vapours.     

Strategies for Interference of Insulin Fibrillogenesis: Challenges and Advances

The discovery of insulin came with very high hopes for diabetic patients. In 2021, the world celebrated the 100th anniversary of the discovery of this vital hormone. However, external use of insulin is highly affected by its aggregating tendency that occurs during its manufacturing, transportation, and improper handling which ultimately leads to its pharmaceutically and biologically ineffective form. In this review, we aim to discuss the various approaches used for decelerating insulin aggregation which results in the enhancement of its overall structural stability and usage. The approaches that are discussed are broadly classified as either a measure through excipient additions or by intrinsic modifications in the insulin native structure.