Performance evaluation of different machine learning techniques for prediction of heart disease

Neural Computing and Applications - Heart diseases are of notable public health disquiet worldwide. Heart patients are growing speedily owing to deficient health awareness and bad consumption...     

Phase separation and crystallization in double crystalline symmetric binary polymer blends

Blending of two or more pure polymers is an effective way to produce composites with tunable properties. In this paper, we report dynamic Monte Carlo simulation results on the crystallization of crystalline/crystalline (A/B) symmetric binary polymer blend, wherein the melting temperature of A-polymer is higher than B-polymer. We study the effect of segregation strength (arises from the immiscibility between A- and B-polymers) on crystallization and morphological development. Crystallization of A-polymer precedes the crystallization of B-polymer upon cooling from a homogeneous melt. Simulation results reveal that the morphological development is controlled by the interplay between crystallization driving force (viz., attractive interaction) and de-mixing energy (viz., repulsive interaction between two polymers). With increasing segregation strength, the interface becomes more rigid and restricts the development of crystalline structures. Mean square radius of gyration shows a decreasing trend with increasing segregation strength, reflecting the increased repulsive interaction between A- and B-polymers. As a consequence, a large number of smaller size crystals form with lesser crystallinity. Isothermal crystallization reveals that the transition pathways strongly depend on segregation strength. We also observe a path-dependent crystallization behavior in isothermal crystallization: two-step (sequential) isothermal crystallization yields superior crystalline structure in both A- and B-polymers than one-step (coincident) crystallization.     

Closed‐Loop Transmit Diversity Techniques for Small Wireless Terminals and Their Performance Assessment in a Flat Fading Channel

Closed‐loop transmit diversity is considered an important technique for improving the link budget in the third generation and future wireless communication standards. This paper proposes several transmit diversity algorithms suitable for small wireless terminals and presents performance assessment in terms of average signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and outage improvement, convergence, and complexity of operations. The algorithms presented herein are verified using data from measured indoor channels with variable antenna spacing and the results explained using measured radiation patterns for a two‐element array. It is shown that for a two‐element array, the best among the proposed techniques provides SNR improvement of about 3 dB in a tightly spaced array (inter‐element spacing of 0.1 wavelength at 2 GHz) typical of small wireless devices. Additionally, these techniques are shown to perform significantly better than a single antenna device in an indoor channel considering realistic values of latency and propagation errors.     

1, 5-Bis (2-hydroxyacetophenone)thiocarbohydrazone: A novel colorimetric and fluorescent dual-mode chemosensor for the recognition of fluoride

1,5-Bis (2-hydroxyacetophenone)thiocarbohydrazone (H₄L) has been synthesized and characterized by means of spectroscopic and single crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Interactions of the H₄L with a variety of anions were investigated using a combination of UV–visible and fluorescence spectroscopic methods in a biological competing solvent DMSO. The H₄L has a high degree of selectivity for fluoride over other anions. ¹H NMR titration experiments indicate that a deprotonation process is involved in the chemo sensing process.     

Radiation dose from dissolved radon in potable waters of the Bangalore environment,South India

Potable waters from various locations of the Bangalore environment were investigated for their ²²²Rn concentrations by the emanometry method. About 94 groundwater (borewell) samples were analysed for ²²²Rn concentrations and found to vary in the range 5.3–283.4 Bq L^?1 with a mean value of 87 Bq L^?1. Frequency distribution showed the ²²²Rn concentration in a large number of samples in the range of 0–50 Bq L^?1. From the measured concentrations, the effective doses (lung and stomach) for the population of the region were estimated. The effective dose was found to vary from 42.6 to 2280.2 µSv y^?1 with a mean value 702.5 µSv y^?1. The effect of boiling of water showed a drastic reduction in the ²²²Rn concentration. The results of the present investigation are systematically analysed, compared with the literature values and discussed.     

Experimental analysis and development of correlations for gas holdup in high pressure slurry co-current bubble columns

The effect of liquid and gas velocities, solid concentrations, and operating pressure has been studied experimentally in a 15 cm diameter air-water-glass beads bubble column. The superficial gas and liquid velocities varied from 1.0 to 40.00 cm/s and 0 to 16.04 cm/s, respectively, while the solid loading varied from 1 to 9%. The gas holdup in the column was reduced sharply as we switched from batch to co-current mode of operation. At low gas velocity, the effect of liquid velocity was insignificant; while at high gas velocity, increasing liquid velocity decreased the gas holdup. Drift flux approach was applied to quantify the combined effect of liquid and gas velocities over gas holdup. For co-current three phase flows, the gas holdup decreased with increase in solid loading for all pressures. But for batch operations, when solid loading was 5% or more, settling started leading to higher gas holdup. Increasing pressure from atmospheric conditions increased the gas holdup significantly, flattening asymptotically.     

Comparison of Different Mass Spectrometry Workflows for the Proteomic Analysis of Tear Fluid

The tear film is a multi-layer fluid that covers the corneal and conjunctival epithelia of the eye and provides lubrication, nutrients, and protection from the outside environment. Tear fluid contains a high concentration of proteins and has thus been recognized as a potential source of biomarkers for ocular disorders due to its proximity to disease sites on the ocular surface and the non-invasive nature of its collection. This is particularly true in the case of dry eye disease, which directly impacts the tear film and its components. Proteomic analysis of tear fluid is challenging mainly due to the wide dynamic range of proteins and the small sample volumes. However, recent advancements in mass spectrometry have revolutionized the field of proteomics enabling unprecedented depth, speed, and accuracy, even with small sample volumes. In this study using the Orbitrap Fusion Tribrid mass spectrometer, we compared four different mass spectrometry workflows for the proteomic analysis of tear fluid collected via Schirmer strips. We were able to establish a method of in-strip protein digestion that identified >3000 proteins in human tear samples from 11 healthy subjects. Our method offers a significant improvement in the number of proteins identified compared to previously reported methods without pooling samples.     

Production of Starch Saccharifying Enzyme (Glucoamylase) in Solid Cultures

A laboratory process was established for the production of glucoamylase (amyloglucosidase) enzyme by Aspergillus niger (RRL isolate), using wheat bran of mixed particle size as main carbon source in solid cultures. The experimental studies were carried out in 500 ml conical flasks and subsequently in tray fermenters in static conditions. Experiments were conducted to monitor the impact of initial moisture content of the substrate as well as the steam cooking of the substrate on different atmospheric pressure on the productivity of the enzyme. An initial moisture level of 50–55% was found optimum for glucoamylase production when fermentation was carried out for 96h. Cooking of substrate at 1056 kg/cm² under steam for 30 min gave most desirable qualities in substrate.     

The influence of MWCNT and hybrid (MWCNT/nanoclay) fillers on performance of EPDM-CIIR blends in nuclear applications: Mechanical,hydrocarbon transport,and gamma-radiation aging characteristics

Blends of EPDM and chlorobutyl (CIIR) rubbers are used in nuclear plants where they have to withstand the combined effect of radiation and hydrocarbon aging. To improve their mechanical properties as well as hydrocarbon and gamma radiation resistance, the blends are reinforced with 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 phr of MWCNT. The increase in mechanical properties was highest for 1.5 phr MWCNT with 69% increase in tensile strength. The improvement in properties was correlated to MWCNT dispersion and filler–polymer interactions, which were confirmed by TEM and FTIR analysis. Hydrocarbon transport coefficients decreased on addition of MWCNT. The nanocomposites were exposed to 0.5, 1, and 2 MGy cumulative doses of gamma radiation. Depending on the radiation dose, crosslinking and/or chain scission occurred causes changes in physical properties. MWCNT reinforcement reduced the magnitude of changes in mechanical and transport properties after γ-irradiation. ESR and FTIR spectra provided qualitative information on free radical formation and chemical changes due to γ-rays exposure. To further enhance the properties, hybrid nanocomposites with 1.5 phr MWCNT and varying nanoclay contents (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 5 phr) were prepared. Due to synergism between MWCNT and nanoclay, the hybrid composites had superior properties with hybrid containing 5 phr nanoclay giving 98% increase in tensile strength.