Statistical inference and Bayesian optimal life-testing plans under Type-II unified hybrid censoring scheme

This article describes the inferential procedures and Bayesian optimal life-testing issues under Type-II unified hybrid censoring scheme. First, the explicit expressions of expected number of failures, expected duration of testing, and Fisher information matrix for the unknown parameters of the underlying lifetime model are derived. Then, using these quantities, the Bayesian optimal life-testing plans are computed in a subsequent section. A cost constraint D-optimal optimization problem has been formulated, and the corresponding solution algorithm is provided to obtain optimal plans. Computational procedures are illustrated through numerical examples.     

Enhanced U-Net segmentation with ensemble convolutional neural network for automated skin disease classification

Knowledge and Information Systems - In recent years, skin-related problems induce psychological problems and also injure physical health, particularly if the patient’s face was disfigured or...     

Amyloid-β Inspired Short Peptide Amphiphile Facilitates Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles as Potential Antibacterial Agents

An amyloid-β inspired biocompatible short peptide amphiphile (sPA) molecule was used for controlled and targeted delivery of bioactive silver nanoparticles via transforming sPA nanostructures. Such sPA-AgNPs hybrid structures can be further used to develop antibacterial materials to combat emerging bacterial resistance. Due to the excellent antibacterial activity of silver, the growth of clinically relevant bacteria was inhibited in the presence of AgNPs-sPA hybrids. Bacterial tests demonstrated that the high biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity of the designed sPA allow it to work as a model drug delivery agent. It therefore shows great potential in locally addressing bacterial infections. The results of our study suggest that these nanodevices have the potential to trap and then engage in the facile delivery of their chemical payload at the target site, thereby working as potential delivery materials. This system has potential therapeutic value for the treatment of microbiota triggered progression of neurodegenerative diseases.     

Analysis of dissipative non-Newtonian magnetic polymer flow from a curved stretching surface with slip and radiative effects

The convective–radiative magnetohydrodynamic non-Newtonian second-grade fluid boundary layer flow from a curved stretching surface has been scrutinized in the present study. The Reiner–Rivlin second-grade viscoelastic model is deployed which provides a good approximation for certain magnetic polymers. High temperature invokes the presence of radiative heat transfer, which is simulated with the Rosseland diffusion approximation. Viscous dissipation and Joule heating are also featured in the model and hydrodynamic (velocity) slip at the wall is also incorporated in the boundary conditions. The emerging nonlinear coupled dimensionless transport equations are solved with a Runge–Kutta method and a shooting numerical scheme. The influence of emerging multiphysical flow parameters on the dimensionless profiles is examined with the help of plots for comparative analysis of both non-Newtonian fluid and Newtonian fluid. The numerical solutions are validated for special cases with existing works. The velocity declines for a higher magnetic field, whereas the reverse trend is noted for the temperature function. The augmentation in the thermal field is noted with increments in radiation parameters. Furthermore, the fluid temperature of the second-grade fluid is higher with increasing Brinkmann number. The wall slip induces deceleration. Contour plots for streamlines and isotherms are also visualized and analyzed.     

Design framework for dimethyl ether (DME) production from coal and biomass-derived syngas via simulation approach

A comprehensive thermodynamic study was conducted to evaluate the comparative efficacy of methanol and dimethyl ether (DME) synthesis using CO₂ rich syngas feed. The first part of our study included assessing the relative performances of the methanol synthesis system, two step DME synthesis system, and one step DME synthesis system in terms of the CO_x conversion and product yield (methanol/DME) based on the Gibbs free energy minimization approach. The wide range of composition of CO₂-enriched syngas feed produced by the coal and biomass gasification was simulated using Aspen Plus and the following evaluation parameters were analyzed for a broad parameter range: reaction temperature (180–280°C), reaction pressure (10–80 bar), stoichiometry number (SN) (0–11), and CO₂/(CO₂ + CO) molar feed ratio (0–1) for isothermal as well as adiabatic conditions. Based on the equilibrium yield, one-step DME synthesis was discovered as the most viable process to utilize the co-gasification derived syngas effectively. In the second part of our study, the overall process efficiency was inspected through the process design of 1 tonnes per day (TPD) DME plant inclusive of heat integration, resulting in significant CO₂ abatement and DME production with high product purity and minimum energy consumption. Consequently, one-step DME production via CO₂-enriched syngas obtained through the coal or biomass gasification process is identified as the leading technology based on energy utilization and CO₂ abatement.     

Configuration management in the Nexus distributed operating system

The paper describes the approach taken for configuration management in the Nexus distributed operating system. Nexus uses kernel-level support for monitoring the failure or termination status of distributed components of an application. Periodic user-level messages are not required for status monitoring. Group and dependency relationships between such components can be defined by the programmer for the purpose of configuration monitoring and management. An object belonging to a distributed application can be monitored by its host kernel for system-defined exception conditions. When any of these conditions arise, other objects are notified through signals or messages, as specified by the programmer.     

State of the Art Metallopolymer Based Functional Nanomaterial for Photodetector and Solar Cell Application

Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers and Materials - Metallopolymeric functional nanomaterials have been gained the significant interest of researchers because of their exclusive...     

Early bird gets the network: The relative importance of reactivity ratios, Ψ parameter,and crosslinker level on gel formation in FRP

Network topology is manipulated in free-radical copolymerization via proper selection of crosslinker type and its respective properties when paired with specific monomers. Our prior work has focused on the impact of the reduced reactivity parameter Ψ applied to a pendent vinyl, characteristic for each monomer/crosslinker pair, yet here we assess the relative importance of the comonomer reactivity ratios to see whether one factor can counterbalance the other. The traditional reactivity ratio determines when the crosslinker molecule is incorporated into the polymer backbone, while the reduced reactivity Ψ parameter relates to the efficiency of the resulting pendent side chain vinyl being utilized to form a crosslink node at some later point during the polymerization. Both factors are then contrasted with simply the overall loading of crosslinker. Either n-butyl methacrylate (n-BMA) or styrene (STY) was chosen as a primary backbone monomer to copolymerize with one of three crosslinkers: 1,4-butanediol dimethacylate (BDDMA), 1,4-butanediol diacrylate (BDDA), or divinylbenzene (DVB). Both kinetics and gel can be most dramatically boosted when a crosslinker is applied having a reactivity ratio favouring early insertion. This in turn leads to an earlier onset of gel formation, which ultimately results in greater final gel content. This amplification of both kinetics and gel can overcome an otherwise small Ψ due to crosslinker or main monomer choice. This reactivity ratio effect was further confirmed by Monte Carlo simulations. By whatever mechanism (higher Ψ, lower r_A, or higher crosslinker level), earlier onset of gelation produces more gel overall and a tighter network topology.     

Silver-Nanoparticle-Embedded Short Amphiphilic Peptide Nanostructures and Their Plausible Application to Reduce Bacterial Infections

The microbiota-gut-brain axis (GBA) plays a critical role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiome causes a significant alteration in the gut microbiota of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, followed by neuroinflammatory processes. Thus, AD beginning in the gut is closely related to an imbalance in gut microbiota, and hence a multidomain approach to reduce this imbalance by exerting positive effects on the gut microbiota is needed. In one example, a tyrosine-based short peptide amphiphile (sPA) was used to synthesize antibacterial AgNPs−sPA nanostructures. Such nanostructures showed high biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity, and therefore work as model drug delivery agents for addressing local bacterial infections. These may have therapeutic value for the treatment of microbiota-triggered progression of neurodegenerative diseases.