A discrete differential evolution algorithm for the single machine total weighted tardiness problem with sequence dependent setup times

This paper is concerned with solving the single machine total weighted tardiness problem with sequence dependent setup times by a discrete differential evolution algorithm developed by the authors recently. Its performance is enhanced by employing different population initialization schemes based on some constructive heuristics such as the well-known NEH and the greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP) as well as some priority rules such as the earliest weighted due date (EWDD) and the apparent tardiness cost with setups (ATCS). Additional performance enhancement is further achieved by the inclusion of a referenced local search (RLS) in the algorithm together with the use of destruction and construction (DC) procedure when obtaining the mutant population. Furthermore, to facilitate the greedy job insertion into a partial solution which will be employed in the NEH, GRASP, DC heuristics as well as in the RLS local search, some newly designed speed-up methods are presented for the insertion move for the first time in the literature. They are novel contributions of this paper to the single machine tardiness related scheduling problems with sequence dependent setup times. To evaluate its performance, the discrete differential evolution algorithm is tested on a set of benchmark instances from the literature. Through the analyses of experimental results, its highly effective performance with substantial margins both in solution quality and CPU time is shown against the best performing algorithms from the literature, in particular, against the very recent newly designed particle swarm and ant colony optimization algorithms of Anghinolfi and Paolucci [A new discrete particle swarm optimization approach for the single machine total weighted tardiness scheduling problem with sequence dependent setup times. European Journal of Operational Research 2007; doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2007.10.044] and Anghinolfi and Paolucci [A new ant colony optimization approach for the single machine total weighted tardiness scheduling problem. http://www.discovery.dist.unige.it/papers/Anghinolfi_Paolucci_ACO.pdf, respectively. Ultimately, 51 out of 120 overall aggregated best known solutions so far in the literature are further improved while other 50 instances are solved equally.     

NAD+ Precursors Repair Mitochondrial Function in Diabetes and Prevent Experimental Diabetic Neuropathy

Axon degeneration in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is associated with impaired NAD⁺ metabolism. We tested whether the administration of NAD⁺ precursors, nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) or nicotinamide riboside (NR), prevents DPN in models of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. NMN was administered to streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats and STZ-induced diabetic mice by intraperitoneal injection at 50 or 100 mg/kg on alternate days for 2 months. mice The were fed with a high fat diet (HFD) for 2 months with or without added NR at 150 or 300 mg/kg for 2 months. The administration of NMN to STZ-induced diabetic rats or mice or dietary addition of NR to HFD-fed mice improved sensory function, normalized sciatic and tail nerve conduction velocities, and prevented loss of intraepidermal nerve fibers in skin samples from the hind-paw. In adult dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons isolated from HFD-fed mice, there was a decrease in NAD⁺ levels and mitochondrial maximum reserve capacity. These impairments were normalized in isolated DRG neurons from NR-treated mice. The results indicate that the correction of NAD⁺ depletion in DRG may be sufficient to prevent DPN but does not significantly affect glucose tolerance, insulin levels, or insulin resistance.     

Effect of fibre characteristics on physical,mechanical and microstructural properties of geopolymer concrete: A comparative experimental investigation

The main aim of this work is to comparatively reveal the effect of fibre type, length and content on compressive strength and microstructure of structural geopolymer concrete (GPC) produced under constant mixture and curing parameters in order to address the significant gap in present literature. Firstly, GPCs with different NaOH concentrations (i.e., 6, 9, 12 and 15 M) and activator solution/binder (a/b) ratios (i.e., 0.45 and 0.55) were produced in ambient curing condition, and optimum production parameters were determined based on the preliminary evaluations. Then, glass and polypropylene fibres in 6-mm length (GS6 and PP6) and polyamide and polypropylene fibres in 12-mm length (PY12 and PP12) were included in GPCs at ratio of 0.4%, 0.8% and 1.2% (by volume). Compressive strength, apparent porosity, bulk density, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis of GPC samples were carried out comparatively. The inclusion of GS6 fibre enhanced the compressive strength thanks to fibre surface being covered by geopolymer gel and the strong adhesion between GS fibre and geopolymer matrix. SEM images of fibre reinforced GPC (FRGPC) also confirmed the experimental findings, which were attributed to improvement in compressive strength. Regardless of the fibre type, the maximum compressive value strength was obtained from GPC specimens with 0.4% fibre and then decreased. Higher fibre inclusions led to poor compaction, workability issues and inhomogeneous fibre dispersions. A very good relation (R² = 0.98) was acquired between UPV and compressive strength values of GPC/FRGPC samples.     

Synthesis of Cherry Stalk Extract Based Organic@Inorganic Hybrid Nanoflowers as a Novel Fenton Reagent: Evaluation of Their Antioxidant,Catalytic, and Antimicrobial Activities

First time in this study, organic@inorganic hybrid copper nanoflowers (Cu NFs) were synthesized by using cherry stem extract as an organic component and Cu²⁺ ion as an inorganic component. For this purpose, cherry stalk extracts were obtained by using ethanol and water solvents. Cu NFs were synthesized in different amounts of extract (100–1000 µl) and under various pH (7.4–9) conditions. The morphologies of the synthesized Cu NFs were evaluated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The functional groups in the cherry stem extract, which play an active role for the synthesis process, and the crystal structure of NFs were investigated by Fourier transform ?nfrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques, respectively. It has been determined by the FE-SEM analysis that ethanol and water based cherry stem extracts are suitable for Cu NFs synthesis in a wide range of pH (7.4–9). This data is crucial for overcoming important limitations for NF synthesis, such as narrow-range medium pH. The catalytic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities of Cu NFs were evaluated. It was revealed that Cu NFs have catalytic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities. It is recommended that, cherry stem extract and different inorganic components are functional to synthesize numerous NFs and to evaluate the adequacy of use in biomedical fields.

     

Dispersible SnO2:Sb and TiO2 Nanocrystals After Calcination at High Temperature

High-temperature treatment of functional nanomaterials, through postsynthesis calcination, often represents an important step to unlock their full potential. However, such calcination steps usually severely limit the preparation of colloidal solutions of the nanoparticles due to the formation of sintered agglomerates. Herein, a simple route is reported to obtain colloidal solutions of calcined n-conductive antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) as well as titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles without the need for additional sacrificial materials. This is achieved by making use of the reduced contact between individual nanoparticles when they are assembled into aerogels. Following the calcination of the aerogels at 500 °C, redispersion of the nanoparticles into stable colloidal solutions with various solvents can be achieved. Although a slight degree of sintering is inevitable, the size of the resulting aggregates in solution is still remarkably small with values below 30 nm.     

Magnetic Polaron States in Photoluminescent Carbon Dots Enable Hydrogen Peroxide Photoproduction (Small 32/2023)

Photoactivation of aspartic acid-based carbon dots (Asp-CDs) induces the generation of spin-separated species, including electron/hole (e⁻/h⁺) polarons and spin-coupled triplet states, as uniquely confirmed by the light-induced electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The relative population of the e⁻/h⁺ pairs and triplet species depends on the solvent polarity, featuring a substantial stabilization of the triplet state in a non-polar environment (benzene). The electronic properties of the photoexcited Asp-CDs emerge from their spatial organization being interpreted as multi-layer assemblies containing a hydrophobic carbonaceous core and a hydrophilic oxygen and nitrogen functionalized surface. The system properties are dissected theoretically by density functional theory in combination with molecular dynamics simulations on quasi-spherical assemblies of size-variant flakelike model systems, revealing the importance of size dependence and interlayer effects. The formation of the spin-separated states in Asp-CDs enables the photoproduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) from water and water/2-propanol mixture via a water oxidation reaction.     

Analysing Various Control Technics for Manipulator Robotic System (Robogymnast)

The Robogymnast is a highly complex, three-link system based on the triple-inverted pendulum and is modelled on the human example of a gymnast suspended by their hands from the high bar and executing larger and larger upswings to eventually rotate fully. The links of the Robogymnast correspond respectively to the arms, trunk, and lower limbs of the gymnast, and from its three joints, one is under passive operation, while the remaining two are powered. The passive top joint poses severe challenges in attaining the smooth movement control needed to operate the Robogymnast effectively. This study assesses four types of controllers used for systems operation and identifies how far response stabilisation is achieved with each. The system is simulated using MATLAB Simulink, with findings generated regarding rising and settling time, as well as overshoot. The research primarily seeks to examine the application of a linear quadratic regulator controller, proportionalintegral-derivative controller, fuzzy linear quadratic regulator controller and linear quadratic regulator- proportional-integral-derivative controller for this type of system and comparisons between the different controllers to demonstrate successful performance, which highlights the claimed advantages of the proposed system.     

Cerium-Modified Mesoporous Antimony Doped Tin Oxide as Intercalation-Free Charge Storage Layers for Electrochromic Devices

Charge storage layers are an important component of electrochromic devices, which are expected to exhibit high storage capacity and transparency as well as fast electron transfer rates. However, these layers often rely on the (de)intercalation of ions into the crystal lattice of the material and therefore require optimization to be compatible with non-intercalating electrolytes. In this report, the post-modification of mesoporous antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticle layers with a redox-active cerium compound is described. In particular, the switching of the Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ couple on the conductive nanoparticle scaffold is demonstrated using tetrabutylammonium perchlorate as a non-intercalating electrolyte. Remarkably, high storage capacities of up to 27 mC cm⁻² and transmittance values of ≈90% are achieved. Variation of the antimony doping concentration revealed that nanoparticle layers doped with 15% Sb exhibit the highest capacity, which can be attributed to increased conductivity in the potential range where the Ce³⁺ ions are oxidized. Finally, the cerium-modified ATO films show promising performance as charge storage layers in an electrochromic device with a viologen-anchored ATO layer as the electrochromic working electrode. Switching times of ≈0.4 s highlight the fast electron transfer capability of the cerium-decorated ATO layer, even when a non-intercalating electrolyte is used.