PREDICTION OF EQUILIBRIUM PHASE COMPOSITIONS AND β-GLUCOSIDASE PARTITION COEFFICIENT IN AQUEOUS TWO-PHASE SYSTEMS

Artificial neural networks (ANN) and Flory-Huggins (F-H)-type models were implemented to simulate the binodal curve of an aqueous two-phase, system (ATPS) composed of poly(ethylene glycol), potassium phosphate, and water. The ANN model outperformed the F-H model in predicting the equilibrium compositions of the PEG-rich phase (average percent deviation: 10.0 versus 56.6). However, the estimation of interaction parameters was feasible only in the thermodynamic framework. Beta-glucosidase was introduced into the system under various temperature (25°-50°C) and pH conditions (6.5-8.0). The β-glucosidase partition coefficient increased with the temperature and pH over a range of 0.11-1.18. The network was better suited to predict the partitioning behavior of the enzyme because of the increased number of interaction parameters. The artificial intelligence-guided approach for isolating the enzyme has the potential to reduce costs, improve performance, and identify the most favorable purification conditions.     

Regulating the geological sequestration of CO2

Governments worldwide should provide incentives for initial large-scale GS projects to help build the knowledge base for a mature, internationally harmonized GS regulatory framework. Health, safety, and environmental risks of these early projects can be managed through modifications of existing regulations in the EU, Australia, Canada, and the U.S. An institutional mechanism, such as the proposed Federal Carbon Sequestration Commission in the U.S., should gather data from these early projects and combine them with factors such as GS industrial organization and climate regime requirements to create an efficient and adaptive regulatory framework suited to large-scale deployment. Mechanisms to structure long-term liability and fund long-term postclosure care must be developed, most likely at the national level, to equitably balance the risks and benefits of this important climate change mitigation technology. We need to do this right. During the initial field experiences, a single major accident, resulting from inadequate regulatory oversight, anywhere in the world, could seriously endanger the future viability of GS. That, in turn, could make it next to impossible to achieve the needed dramatic global reductions in CO2 emissions over the next several decades. We also need to do it quickly. Emissions are going up, the climate is changing, and impacts are growing. The need for safe and effective CO2 capture with deep GS is urgent.     

Low thermal conductivity in porous SiC–SiO2–Al2O3–TiO2 ceramics induced by multiphase thermal resistance

The introduction of multiple heterogeneous interfaces in a ceramic is an efficient way to increase its thermal resistance. Novel porous SiC–SiO₂–Al₂O₃–TiO₂ (SSAT) ceramics were fabricated to achieve multiple heterogeneous interfaces by sintering equal volumes of SiC, SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and TiO₂ compacted powders with polysiloxane as a bonding phase and carbon as a template at 600 °C in air. The porosity could be controlled between 66% and 74% by adjusting the amounts of polysiloxane and the carbon template. The lowest thermal conductivity (0.059 W/(m·K) at 74% porosity) obtained in this study is an order of magnitude lower than those (0.2–1.3 W/(m·K)) of porous monolithic SiC, SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and TiO₂ ceramics at an equivalent porosity. The typical specific compressive strength value of the porous SSAT ceramics at 74% porosity was 3.2 MPa cm³/g.     

An efficient bi-layer content based image retrieval system

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Large amount of multi-media content, generated by various image capturing devices, is shared and downloaded by millions of users across the globe, every second....     

Anthocyanin-rich fruit vinegar from Grewia and Cantaloupe fruit blends

Grewia is a tropical berry rich in anthocyanins and antioxidants but highly perishable in nature. In this study, desirable composite blend of overripe Grewia (Phalsa) berries and cantaloupe was sought for conversion to acetic acid. Composition of raw macerate, and the alcoholic and acetic ferments was analysed for sugars, alcohol and acetic acid. The primary alcohol yield varied significantly (5.75–99.44%) with blend composition. Vinegar from select blend attained 4.98% acidity with 138.57 mg mL⁻¹ of phenols and high anthocyanins retention (74.77%). Gompertz model was used to fit the growth curves of S. cerevisiae and A. aceti (R²> 0.92) during fermentation. Presence of ethyl acetate, iso-pentyl alcohols explained pleasant sweet fruity aroma of resulting vinegar. Thus, high quality functional red fruit vinegar can be obtained to prevent spoilage and utilise the functional potential of this delicate and nutritious berry.     

Age estimation using local direction and moment pattern (LDMP) features

Multimedia Tools and Applications - An automatic estimation of age from face images is gaining attention due to its interesting applications such as age-based access control, customer profiling for...     

Evaluating the Impact of Software Security Tactics: A Design Perspective

Design architecture is the edifice that strengthens the functionalities as well as the security of web applications. In order to facilitate architectural security from the web application’s design phase itself, practitioners are now adopting the novel mechanism of security tactics. With the intent to conduct a research from the perspective of security tactics, the present study employs a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making approach named fuzzy analytic hierarchy process-technique for order preference by similarity ideal solution (AHP-TOPSIS) method for selecting and assessing multi-criteria decisions. The adopted methodology is a blend of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (fuzzy AHP) and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS). To establish the efficacy of this methodology, the results are obtained after the evaluation have been tested on fifteen different web application projects (Online Quiz competition, Entrance Test, and others) of the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India. The tabulated outcomes demonstrate that the methodology of the Multi-Level Fuzzy Hybrid system is highly effective in providing accurate estimation for strengthening the security of web applications. The proposed study will help experts and developers in developing and managing security from any web application design phase for better accuracy and higher security.