Effect of stabilizer on structural, optical and electrochemical properties of sol–gel derived spin coated TiO2 films

Thin films of TiO₂ were prepared using two different sol–gel routes. The two routes employed diethanolamine (DEA) and acetylacetone as stabilizing agents with titanium isopropoxide (Ti(OPrⁱ)₄) in ethanol as the deposition solution. The densification at 500 °C achieved the nanophase TiO₂ films, which were investigated by performing structural, optical and electrochemical studies. Ion storage capacity and transmission measurements showed superior response of the films derived from DEA. Between the films obtained from the two routes, the appearance of the rutile phase at lower temperature for the film synthesized using DEA was predicted on the basis of the thermal analysis of the corresponding xerogel. The nanocrystalline nature of the films was evident from the X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The films deposited from both the stabilizers exhibited electrochromism in 1 M LiClO₄-propylene carbonate electrolyte on cathodic polarization.     

A simple and efficient sun tracking mechanism using programmable logic controller

To increase the unit area illumination of solar ray on PV panel, it is required to track the sun throughout the day. So to reach the goal various type of sun tracking mechanism is already developed but in this paper we designed two different types of sun tracking mechanism: single axis and dual axis tracking using programmable logic controller (PLC) as it has numbers of unique advantages like??it is faster, reliable, requires less maintenance and reprogrammable. A comparative study between those two systems is also presented in this paper. The whole system has been designed and tested using GE, FANUC PLC.     

White graphene based composite proton exchange membrane: Improved durability and proton conductivity

Boron nitride, which is also known as “white graphene” may be an attractive filler for composite proton exchange membrane. Application of polymer electrolyte membranes in fuel cell as an electrolyte is gaining attention due to the requirement of clean energy. However, despite its attractive features it requires more consideration for complete commercialization. Herein we demonstrate the preparation of novel functionalized WHITE GRAPHENE (hexagonal boron nitride) and sulfonated poly ether sulfone (SPES) based polymer electrolyte membranes (PEM). Composite membranes have been characterized through thermal, mechanical, structural analysis. Membranes have been subjected to measure methanol permeability and proton conductivity at different temperatures for its use in DMFC. Composite membranes exhibit good physicochemical properties as well as high methanol crossover resistance. 0.5 wt % of FBN (SP-FBN-05) membrane is found to be adequate to get the better performance in DMFC.     

A deep learning based approach to detect IDC in histopathology images

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Breast cancer is one of the widespread reasons of morbidity worldwide that begins in the cells of the tissues of morbidity worldwide in the woman community....     

Symptotics: a framework for estimating the scalability of real-world wireless networks

We present a framework for non-asymptotic analysis of real-world multi-hop wireless networks that captures protocol overhead, congestion bottlenecks, traffic heterogeneity and other real-world concerns. The framework introduces the concept of symptotic scalability to determine the number of nodes to which a network scales, and a metric called change impact value for comparing the impact of underlying system parameters on network scalability. A key idea is to divide analysis into generic and specific parts connected via a signature—a set of governing parameters of a network scenario—such that analyzing a new network scenario reduces mainly to identifying its signature. Using this framework, we present the first closed-form symptotic scalability expressions for line, grid, clique, randomized grid and mobile topologies. We model both TDMA and 802.11, as well as unicast and broadcast traffic. We compare the analysis with discrete event simulations and show that the model provides sufficiently accurate estimates of scalability. We show how our impact analysis methodology can be used to progressively tune network features to meet a scaling requirement. We uncover several new insights, for instance, on the limited impact of reducing routing overhead, the differential nature of flooding traffic, and the effect real-world mobility on scalability. Our work is applicable to the design and deployment of real-world multi-hop wireless networks including community mesh networks, military networks, disaster relief networks and sensor networks.     

Effect of graft copolymerization of mixtures of acrylamide and methyl methacrylate on mechanical properties of jute fibers of different compositions

The role of persulfate-induced graft copolymerization of mixtures of acrylamide and methyl methacrylate at 50°C in modifying mechanical properties of jute fibers of different compositions was studied in a limited aqueous system following a pretreatment technique. Results obtained indicate that such a process admits a good scope for modification of mechanical properties of jute fiber depending on degree of grafting achieved and compositional variations of (1) the feed monomer mixture and (2) the multiconstituent jute itself, consequent to selective removal of lignin and hemicellulose to different extents from the fiber. Low to moderate removal of hemicellulose is more effective than a similar degree of removal of lignin from jute in rendering the fiber more amenable to vinyl grafting using the mixed monomer system without being adversely affected with respect to tensile properties. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 68: 1139–1147, 1998     

Toughening of Epoxy Resin with Solid Amine Terminated Poly （ethylene glycol） Benzoate and Effect of Red Mud Waste Particles

An investigation was carried out to modify the toughness of triethylene tetramine cured DGEBA （diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A） resin using solid amine terminated poly （ethylene glycol） benzoate （ATPEGB） as modifier with and without red mud waste particles. The solid ATPEGB modifier synthesized from the acid catalyzed esterification reaction of poly （ethylene glycol） （PEG） and 4-amino benzoic acid was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR） and ^1H-NMR （nuclear magnetic resonance） spectroscopies, viscosity measurements, and solubility parameter calculation. The unfilled and red mud waste filled modified epoxy networks were evaluated with impact, adhesive, tensile, flexural and thermal properties by differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, thermogravimetric （TG） and dynamic mechanical analysis （DMA）. The effect of modifier concentration and red mud waste particles on toughening behavior was also investigated. The optimum properties were obtained at 12.5 phr （parts per hundred parts of resin） concentration of the modifier. The ATPEGB modified cured epoxy was thermally stable up to 315℃. The morphology on fracture surfaces of cured epoxy was also analyzed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）.     

Multilevel segmentation of Hippocampus images using global steered quantum inspired firefly algorithm

Applied Intelligence - Microscopic Image segmentation has a crucial role in detecting and diagnosing numerous critical diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, Kidney disease, Cancer, many...     

Synthesis and characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles by solvothermal method

In the present work iron oxide nanoparticles have been synthesized by alkaline solvo thermal method using anhydrous ferric chloride, sodium hydroxide, polyethylene glycol and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). XRD indicated that the product is a mixture of different phases of iron oxide viz. gamma-Fe₂O₃ (maghemite, tetragonal), Fe₂O₃ (maghemite, cubic), Fe₃O₄ (magnetite, cubic) and ?-Fe₂O₃(epsilon iron oxide). FESEM studies indicated that size of the particles is observed in the range of about 19.8 nm to 48 nm. EDX spectral analysis reveals the presence of carbon, oxygen, iron in the synthesized nanoparticles. The FTIR spectra indicated absorption bands due to O-H stretching, C-O bending, N-H stretching and bending, C-H stretching and Fe-O stretching vibrations. TGA curve represented weight loss of around 3.0446 % in the sample at temperature of about 180°C due to the elimination of the water molecules absorbed by the nanoparticles from the atmosphere.     

Surface ultrastructure of gills in relation to the feeding ecology of an angler catfish Chaca chaca (Siluriformes,Chacidae)

Surface ultrastructure of the gills of the angler catfish Chaca chaca was investigated to unravel the adaptive modifications associated with the feeding ecology of the fish. The fish is often found in mud or in soft substrates where they remain buried both for protection and to feed. Gill rakers present on the gill arch in most fish species are absent in this fish. The absence of gill rakers are associated with the feeding habit of the fish and is considered to facilitate the swallowing of captured prey smoothly without any hindrance. Highly corrugated surface of the gill arch and gill filaments could be associated to retain water/mucus to prevent dessicassion of the fish. Papillae like epithelial protuberances each bearing a taste bud at its summit toward the pharyngeal side of the gill arch is associated with the sorting of the food. Large number of mucous goblet cells on the gill arch epithelium are considered to secret copious mucus to lubricate the prey for easy swallowing. In C. chaca the gill septa between gill filaments are reduced. This could enhance the flexibility and permit the free movement of the gill filaments. Extensive secondary lamellae and infrequent mucous goblet cells on secondary lamellae are associated to increase the surface area to enhance efficiency of gaseous exchange.