An Advanced Analysis System for Identifying Alcoholic Brain State Through EEG Signals

Machine Intelligence Research - This paper addresses an advanced analysis system for the identification of alcoholic brain states from electroencephalogram (EEG) data in an automatic way. This...     

Miscibility in blends of linear and branched poly(ethylene oxide) with methacrylate derivative random copolymers and estimation of segmental χ parameters

Miscibility in the blends of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with n-hexyl methacrylate-methyl methacrylate random copolymers (HMA-MMA) and 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate-MMA random copolymers (EHMA-MMA) was evaluated using glass transition and light scattering methods. EHMA-MMA was more miscible with PEO than HMA-MMA. Both blends of PEO with HMA-MMA and EHMA-MMA showed UCST-type miscibility although homopolymer blends PEO/PMMA were predicted to be of LCST-type. This was attributed to an increase in the exchange enthalpy with increasing HMA or EHMA composition in the random copolymer. From the copolymer composition dependence of miscibility the segmental χ parameters of HMA/MMA, EHMA/MMA, EO/HMA and EO/EHMA were estimated using the Flory-Huggins theory extended to random copolymer systems. Miscibility in the blends of branched PEO with HMA-MMA whose HMA copolymer composition was 0.16 was compared with that in the linear PEO blends. The former blends were more miscible with HMA-MMA than the latter one by about 35 °C at the maximum cloud point temperature.     

Preparation and properties of natural nanocomposites based on natural rubber and naturally occurring halloysite nanotubes

A ‘green’ composite based on natural halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and natural rubber (NR) was prepared by mechanical mixing. A silane coupling agent, bis (triethoxysilylpropyl)-tetrasulphide, was utilized to enhance the properties of these composites. It was observed that the reinforcing activity of HNTs was superior to commercial silica coupled with the same amount of silane coupling agent. Moreover the on-set thermal degradation decomposition temperature was improved by ∼64 °C with the addition of 10 parts HNTs per hundred of rubber. Transmission electron microscopic images confirmed the good dispersion of the HNTs in the rubber matrix, whereas X-ray diffraction studies showed a little change in interlayer spacing between the two silicate layers of HNTs.     

Investigating synergism during sequential inactivation of MS-2 phage and Bacillus subtilis spores with UV/H2O2 followed by free chlorine

A sequential application of UV as a primary disinfectant with and without H₂O₂ addition followed by free chlorine as secondary, residual disinfectant was performed to evaluate the synergistic inactivation of selected indicator microorganisms, MS-2 bacteriophage and Bacillus subtilis spores. No synergism was observed when the UV irradiation treatment was followed by free chlorine, i.e., the overall level of inactivation was the same as the sum of the inactivation levels achieved by each disinfection step. With the addition of H₂O₂ in the primary UV disinfection step, however, enhanced microbial inactivation was observed. The synergism was observed in two folds manners: (1) additional inactivation achieved by hydroxyl radicals generated from the photolysis of H₂O₂ in the primary UV disinfection step, and (2) damage to microorganisms in the primary step which facilitated the subsequent chlorine inactivation. Addition of H₂O₂ in the primary disinfection step was also found to be beneficial for the degradation of selected model organic pollutants including bisphenol-A (endocrine disruptor), geosmin (taste and odor causing compound) and 2,4-D (herbicide). The results suggest that the efficiency of UV/free chlorine sequential disinfection processes, which are widely employed in drinking water treatment, could be significantly enhanced by adding H₂O₂ in the primary step and hence converting the UV process to an advanced oxidation process.     

Thermophoretic particle deposition and heat generation analysis of Newtonian nanofluid flow through magnetized Riga plate

The Riga surface is composed of an electromagnetic actuator that comprises a span-wise associated array of discontinuous electrodes and an everlasting magnet mounted over a planer surface. The electro-magneto-hydrodynamic has an attractive role in thermal reactors, fluidics network flow, liquid chromatography, and micro coolers. Inspired by these applications, a laminar, two-dimensional nanofluid flow with uniform heat sink-source, thermophoretic depositions of the particles, and the Newtonian heating effect are investigated. The equations that describe the fluid motion are reduced into a system of ordinary differential equations with the help of spatial similarity variables. Numeric solutions of ordinary differential equations are executed through the Runge–Kutta–Felhberg 45 order technique via a shooting scheme. The role of various nondimensional factors on physically interesting quantities is elaborated graphically. The velocity profile rises for modified Hartmann number and decreases for porosity parameter. Thermal enhancement is high in the common wall temperature condition comparative to the case of the Newtonian heating conditions. The concentration profile is enhanced with Schmidt number, but the reverse trend is observed for the thermophoretic parameter. The rate of mass transfer is increased with Schmidt number.     

Constructal enhancement of thermal transport in metal foam-PCM composite-assisted latent heat thermal energy storage system

The aim of this study is to augment thermal transport in latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) system by the optimum allocation of metal foam-phase change material (PCM) composite. This study emphasizes on the optimal volume and distribution of metal foam-PCM composite (MFPC) to enhance melting performance without delay in the total melting time. Therefore, a MFPC is designed according to constructal theory. The fundamental principle of the theory is to configure high thermal conductivity agents at optimal thermal energy flow path for effective heat exchange. A numerical code based on local thermal nonequilibrium approach equipped enthalpy porosity method is formulated, and evaluated. The results of the proposed configuration show that the provision of MFPC only at high local temperature gradient enhances the conductive transport with improvement in the overall thermal transport. It is derived that the elimination of metal foam volume at low temperature gradient incorporates the advantageous effect of natural convective transport, which is seen to be suppressed. Additionally, the proposed configuration may increase the volume of PCM, thus, the TES capacity. It also reduces the total weight and economy of energy storage system. The overall melting rate is improved by 11.11% in comparison with the LHTES with full volume of this high thermal conductivity agent.     

Hybrid nanofluid flow over a stretched cylinder with the impact of homogeneous–heterogeneous reactions and Cattaneo–Christov heat flux: Series solution and numerical simulation

The Catteno–Christov heat flux plays a dynamic role in flow of heat enhancement in various manufacturing, industrial, and engineering applications. This present work focuses on the influence of Catteno–Christov heat flux model on Darcy–Forchheimer flow of a hybrid nanofluid placed in a porous medium. The formulation of the mathematical model is done by considering a fluid with two different nanoparticles Al₂O₃ and Cu dispersed in the water as the base fluid. The set of partial differntial equations is reduced by using similarity variables and boundary conditions to obtain ordinary differntial equations. The coupled nonlinear governing differential equations are solved using Runge–Kutta fourth–fifth order (RKF-45). The impact of numerous dimensionless parameters on the velocity, thermal, and concentration profiles are plotted and studied. Furthermore, the coefficient of skin friction for the relevant parameters are analysed through graphs. Result reveals that, increase in the porosity parameter declines the velocity gradient and shoots up the thermal and concentration gradients. Inclination in magnetic parameter declines velocity and concentration profiles due to the Lorentz force. Enhancement in the thermal relaxation parameter declines the thermal profile. Inclination in homogeneous-heterogeneous reaction parameters declines the mass transfer rate. Also, the well-known differential transform method is used for the validity of RKF-45 method and an impressive agreement is noticed between the results of RKF-45 and DTM.     

Implementation of Band Gap and Gate Oxide Engineering to Improve the Electrical Performance of SiGe/InAs Charged Plasma-Based Junctionless-TFET

Silicon - This paper reports on a charged plasma-based adjustable bandgap source/channel (So/Ch) interface using a new semiconductor compound (SiGe/ InAs) and bimaterial oxide (HfO2/SiO2)...     

Ecological interface design and emergent users: Designing for small-scale trucking ecology in India

Effective on-road safety requires proper maintenance of vehicles. In the trucking sector in India, there is a need for supporting predictive maintenance to decrease downtime and improve safety. Improving maintenance in this sector involves certain challenges. First, most trucks are owned by small-scale fleet owners (trucks < 5). Second, maintenance is often handled by small-scale mechanic workshops. The fault diagnosis is very often limited to recognition by the driver and later reassessed by the mechanic by relying on the feel or the sound of the vehicle. Third, a majority of stakeholders in this sector—drivers, mechanics, and owners—have low levels of education. Despite these challenges, with the increase in the rate of digitalization, in the future, it will be easier to monitor the health of the parts of a truck. In addition, there is a developing trend of mobile phone and internet penetration in India that has leapfrogged a majority of Indians into becoming “emergent users” of information technology. Therefore, this article shows that sociotechnical approaches such as ecological interface design can be used to develop mobile interfaces for supporting predictive maintenance through health and usage monitoring of trucks for small-scale fleet owners in India. To develop the interface, a field study was conducted at several sites in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The insights were used to develop scenarios and the abstraction hierarchy, which were later used creatively to develop the interface design for emergent users.