Effect of voltage sweep direction on the performance evaluation of P3HT : PCBM solar cells

Investigations on the effect of direction of voltage sweeps, on the current density–voltage (J–V) characteristics in polymer bulk‐heterojunction solar cells, based on the blend of poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl [6,6] C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), are reported with time. On the freshly prepared device, the direction of the voltage sweep did not have any effect; however, as the device started degrading, the change in direction of the voltage sweep resulted into different characteristics. Analysis beyond complete degradation, when all the photovoltaic parameters reduced to zero, revealed some interesting results. The J–V characteristics, measured with voltage sweep from −ve to +ve voltage, both in the dark and under illumination, were observed to pass through the second quadrant. On the other hand, with the change in the direction of voltage sweep, viz. from +ve to −ve voltage, the characteristics both in the dark and under illumination passed through the fourth quadrant. These results have been explained on the basis of polarization of the degraded active layer due to applied external voltage. This is an important effect and is observed to depend on the applied voltages during performance evaluation and becomes more prominent with time. This effect puts a question mark on the correctness of the method for calculation of the parameters of a degraded device. Studies on degradation of P3HT : PCBM solar cells showed that both the short circuit current density (J_sc) and the power conversion efficiency (η) decay exponentially, whereas the open circuit voltage (V_oc) decays almost linearly with time. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phytofiltration of cadmium from water by Limnocharis flava (L.) Buchenau grown in free-floating culture system

A hydroponics experiment was conducted to examine the phytofiltration of Cd by Limnocharis flava (L.) Buchenau grown in low-level Cd-contaminated water. For this, 45 d old seedlings of L .flava were transferred to a floating-support culture system containing nutrient solution spiked with four levels of Cd (0.5, 1, 2 and 4 mg l⁻¹) and were separately harvested after 3, 7, 21 and 30 d. After 30 d harvesting, the percentage removal of Cd from the above four treatments reached up to 98, 96, 95 and 93%, respectively. Interestingly, all treatments had higher growth rate than control at 95% confidence level and plants still remained healthy at 4 mg l⁻¹ Cd exposure. The bioaccumulation study showed a linear relationship of Cd (R² = 0.896–0.999) in all plant parts with the exposure time (3–30 d) and Cd concentrations in hydroponics system (0.5–4 mg l⁻¹). Although, the root of L. flava had higher Cd concentration than leaf and peduncles, the total Cd concentrations in aerial plant parts were higher than the roots. The maximum bioconcentration factor (BCF) and translocation factor (TF) value of L. flava were calculated as 984.42 and 1.43, respectively. Estimated Cd accumulation capacity of L. flava per unit area (m²) was found to be in the range of 218. 35–1698.92 mg m⁻².The experimental results demonstrated that L. flava is a suitable candidate for the phytofiltartion (>93%) of Cd from low-level Cd-contaminated water.     

Exploration of Ligand-receptor Binding and Mechanisms for Alginate Reduction and Phenotype Reversion by Mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Bacteria in general can develop a wide range of phenotypes under different conditions and external stresses. The phenotypes that reside in biofilms, overproduce exopolymers, and show increased motility often exhibit drug tolerance and drug persistence. In this work, we describe a class of small molecules that delay and inhibit the overproduction of alginate by a non-swarming mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Among these molecules, selected benzophenone-derived alkyl disaccharides cause the mucoid bacteria to swarm on hydrated soft agar gel and revert the mucoid to a nonmucoid phenotype. The sessile (biofilm) and motile (swarming) phenotypes are controlled by opposing signaling pathways with high and low intracellular levels of bis-(3’,5’)-cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (cdG), respectively. As our molecules control several of these phenotypes, we explored a protein receptor, pilin of the pili appendages, that is consistent with controlling these bioactivities and signaling pathways. To test this binding hypothesis, we developed a bacterial motility-enabled binding assay that uses the interfacial properties of hydrated gels and bacterial motility to conduct label-free ligand-receptor binding studies. The structure-activity correlation and receptor identification reveal a plausible mechanism for reverting mucoid to nonmucoid phenotypes by binding pili appendages with ligands capable of sequestering and neutralizing reactive oxygen species.     

Temperature prediction of heat sources using machine learning techniques

This paper explores the use of machine learning algorithms, such as XGBoost, random forest regression, support vector machine regression, and artificial neural network (ANN), which are employed for predicting temperatures of rectangular silicon heaters with dummy elements. A combination of these machine learning algorithms can predict better results over individual algorithm. Silicon heaters are equipped on an FR4 substrate board for cooling under forced convection in a horizontal channel. COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4 software is used for all the three-dimensional numerical simulations. Heat transfer at the solid and fluid interface is studied using a module based on conjugate heat transfer and nonisothermal fluid flow. Dummy elements are coupled with heated sources to evaluate heat transfer and analyze the flow of fluid. The study is performed with 2.5 m/s velocity and a uniform heat flux of 5000 W/m². The study is aimed at predicting and comparing results of support vector regression (SVR), ensemble learning with ANN to explore optimal configuration. Results indicate an agreement of less than 10% between the simulated and predicted temperatures. It is also found that SVR has given the best results compared with XG Boot and ANN when analyzed individually. The programming for these algorithms is performed using the Python programming language.     

Parameter Optimization of Rotary Ultrasonic Machining on Quartz Glass Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

In the current research, rotary ultrasonic machining was used to drill holes in quartz material. The effect of different RUM parameters namely tool feed rate, tool rotational speed and ultrasonic power on material removal rate and surface roughness has been studied experimentally. The response surface methodology with central composite design has been used to design the experiments. From the desirability approach, the optimum setting of the rotary ultrasonic machining parameters was found to be the tool rotational speed of 4968 rpm, feed rate of 0.55 mm/min, and ultrasonic power of 80% for achieving the maximum MRR of 0.2135 mm3/s and minimum SR of 0.3685 μm. Microstructure analysis of the machined surface was performed by using scanning electron microscopy in order to study the mechanisms of material removal under the different settings of RUM parameters. It was observed that at very low feed (0.08 mm/min) and high rpm (5681) the material is predominantly removed by plastic deformation whereas at high feed (0.92 mm/min) and low rpm (2318) the material is removed by brittle fracture.     

A new ensemble approach to explore stability features in turning operation on CNC lathe

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - Objective of the present study is to determine an optimum range of turning parameters using merged wavelet denoising and local mean decomposition...     

Preparation and electrooptic study of reverse mode polymer dispersed liquid crystal: Performance augmentation with the doping of nanoparticles and dichroic dye

Reported herein, the preparation, morphological, and electrooptic (EO) characterization of reverse mode polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) with nematic liquid crystal (LC) and UV curable polymer optical adhesive using polymerization induced phase separation method. The PDLCs are switchable between transparent and opaque states due to the homeotropic and planar alignment of LC in their OFF and ON states of applied voltage, respectively. Further, effect of doping of a fixed concentration of azo dye and silica nanoparticles (NPs) on morphological, EO and response characteristics of same PDLC sample was also analyzed. Experimental results showed that doped reverse mode PDLCs have the higher OFF state optical transmission and boost up in the scattering ON state compared with pristine reverse mode PDLC. The phenomenon is also supported by extinction coefficient and absorption study based on Beer's law. The threshold and operating voltages were found reduced ~1.56 and ~1.73 times for NPs and (NPs + dye) doped reverse mode PDLCs, respectively, along with better contrasts to the pristine reverse mode PDLC. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48745.     

Cell-Wall-Targeting Antibiotics Cause Lag-Phase Bacteria to Form Surface-Mediated Filaments Promoting the Formation of Biofilms and Aggregates

Antibiotics are known to promote bacterial formation of enhanced biofilms, the mechanism of which is not well understood. Here, using biolayer interferometry, we have shown that bacterial cultures containing antibiotics that target cell walls cause biomass deposition on surfaces over time with a linear profile rather than the Langmuir-like profiles exhibited by bacterial adherence in the absence of antibiotics. We observed about three times the initial rate and 12 times the final biomass deposition on surfaces for cultures containing carbenicillin than without. Unexpectedly, in the presence of antibiotics, the rate of biomass deposition inversely correlated with bacterial densities from different stages of a culture. Detailed studies revealed that carbenicillin caused faster growth of filaments that were seeded on surfaces from young bacteria (from lag phase) than those from high-density fast-growing bacteria, with rates of filament elongation of about 0.58 and 0.13 μm min⁻¹, respectively. With surfaces that do not support bacterial adherence, few filaments were observed even in solution. These filaments aggregated in solution and formed increased amounts of biofilms on surfaces. These results reveal the lifestyle of antibiotic-induced filamentous bacteria, as well as one way in which the antibiotics promote biofilm formation.     

Service profit chain and throughput orientation: a manager-employee-customer triad perspective in services

Building on the Theory of Constraints (TOC) in the service context and drawing on internal and external service profit chain literature, we explore the role of throughput orientation at the manager-employee-customer triad level. Controlling for archival performance data at the branch level of banks, in a sample of 136 triads of managers-frontline employees-customers at 37 branches from a bank in a northern state in India, we find that throughput orientation is positively associated with external service profit chain; and this association is further strengthened under stronger internal service profit chain. By integrating a service-operations based perspective of service employees at a triadic level, we demonstrate the importance of throughput orientation in service profit chains.     

On the synchronicity of flash sintering and phase transformation

There is growing evidence that oxides of complex chemistries can be formed in one step by reactive flash sintering of their elemental constituents. Here we explore the temporal relationship between phase transformation and sintering by combining measurements of sintering with in situ measurements of phase transformation. The experiments are carried out under current rate, where flash is induced by injecting current and increasing it at a constant rate. We show that phase transformation of powders of magnesia and α-alumina into single-phase magnesium aluminate spinel was completed in 45 seconds, whereas sintering to full density required 60 seconds.