Photocatalytic degradation of C.I. Acid Red 27 by immobilized ZnO on glass plates in continuous-mode

The photocatalytic degradation of C.I. Acid Red 27 (AR27), an anionic monoazo dye of acid class, in aqueous solutions was investigated with immobilized ZnO catalyst on glass plates in a continuous-mode. In the slurry ZnO system the separation and recycling of the photocatalyst is practically difficult. Thus, ZnO was immobilized on solid supports to solve this problem. The removal percent increases with increasing the photoreactor volume and light intensity but it decreases when the flow rate is increased. With decreasing flow rate from 43 to 15mlmin(-1), the complete decolorization and degradation was obtained at around 748 and 1080cm(3) from photoreactor volume. The increase in the light intensity from 21.4 to 58.5Wm(-2) increases the decolorization from 23 to 57.6% and degradation from 17.5 to 37.8% for 374cm(3) of photoreactor volume. NH(4)(+), NO(3)(-), NO(2)(-) and SO(4)(2-) ions were analyzed as mineralization products of nitrogen and sulfur heteroatoms. Results showed that final concentration of SO(4)(2-) ions and N-containing mineralization products were less than the finally expected stoichiometric values. The positive slope of production of NH(4)(+), NO(3)(-) and NO(2)(-) shows that these compounds are initial products resulting directly from the initial attack on the nitrogen-to-nitrogen double bond (-NN-) of the azo dye.     

Characterization of carbon nanotube-cdse hybrid nanomaterials

MWNT-CdSe hybrid nanomaterials were prepared with carboxylic acid-treated CdSe nanoparticles and amino-functionalized MWNTs. The hybridization of MWNT-CdSe nanomaterials was performed by the formation of covalent bond between MWNT and CdSe. Their covalent bond lengths were varied with changing the linking spacers. Amino-functionalized MWNTs were reacted with CdSe nanoparticles which were functionalized with carboxylic acid groups. Their detailed structures were characterized by FT-IR, XPS, and small angle X-ray scattering. Through small angle X-ray scattering experiments, it was found that the structures of CdSe nanoparticles were not regular, and their sizes were broadly distributed in solution. The longer amino-functionalized MWNTs were thermally decomposed at lower temperature. The photoluminescence (PL) of chemically-linked MWNT-CdSe hybrid nanomaterials were weaker than that of CdSe nanoparticles. In addition, their PL intensities more weakened on the MWNT-CdSe with the longer spacers.     

Solving a multi-objective mixed-model assembly line sequencing problem by a fuzzy goal programming approach

This paper presents a fuzzy goal programming approach to solve a multi-objective mixed-model assembly line sequencing problem in a just-in-time production system. A mixed-model assembly line is a type of production line capable of diversified small-lot production and is able to promptly respond to sudden demand changes for a variety of models. Determining the sequence of introducing models to such an assembly line is of particular importance for the efficient implementation of just-in-time (JIT) systems. In this paper, we consider three objectives, simultaneously: minimizing total utility work, total production rate variation, and total setup cost. Because of conflicting objectives, we propose a fuzzy goal programming-based approach to solve the model. This approach is constructed based on the desirability of decision maker (DM) and tolerances considered on goal values. To illustrate the behavior of the proposed model, some of instances are solved optimally and computational results reported.     

Real options approach for a mixed-model assembly line sequencing problem

Mixed-model assembly lines are widely used in manufacturing. This can be attributed to increased product variety and potential just-in-time (JIT) benefits obtained by applying mixed-model assembly lines. Because of market demand volatility, the flexibility of such a line is increasingly becoming more important and, consequently, determining an accurate sequence is becoming more complex. In this paper, first, we use the real options approach to evaluate one specific type of flexibility, i.e., product-mix flexibility. This methodology is applied to determine the products’ quantity that must be satisfied by the mixed-model assembly line. Then, in order to determine a desired sequence, we consider three objectives simultaneously: (1) total utility work cost, (2) total production rate variation cost, and (3) total set-up cost. A nonlinear zero–one model is developed for the problem whose objective function is a weighted sum of the above-mentioned objectives. Moreover, two efficient metaheuristics, i.e., a genetic algorithm (GA) and a memetic algorithm (MA), are proposed. These solution methods are compared with the optimal solution method using Lingo 6 software over a set of randomly generated test problems. The computational results reveal that the proposed memetic algorithm performs better than the proposed genetic algorithm.     

Effect of washing and capacitating media pH on bull sperm motility, acrosome integrity, and ability to penetrate zona-free hamster oocytes

Bovine-ejaculated sperm were washed thrice in bovine serum albumin-saline media, pH 7.2 to 8.4, and incubated at 37 degrees C in Ca++-free Tyrode's media. pH 7.2 to 8.4, for 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 h. Motility was highest when sperm were washed in pH 7.2 medium and incubated in pH 8.0 or 8.4 media. Motility remained above 50% until 8 h. Washing in pH 7.6, 8.0, or 8.4 media induced more acrosome reactions after incubation than washing at pH 7.2. Percentage of acrosome-reacted sperm increased at each successive time period. Sperm penetrated more oocytes at 4, 6, and 8 h when wash medium pH was fixed at 7.2 and capacitating media pH was raised at .4 unit increments from 7.2 to 8.4. When sperm were washed in pH 7.2 medium, the postincubation penetration rates peaked at 8 h. With wash media of pH 7.6, 8.0, or 8.4, the postincubation penetration rates peaked at 4 h and then gradually declined. In conclusion, the most effective system for capacitating bull sperm was a pH 7.6 wash followed by capacitation in pH 7.6 medium for 4 to 8 h and this system resulted in the highest penetration rates. Wash media pH hastened capacitation but was not a capacitating agent.     

Analysis of Serum Advanced Glycation Endproducts Reveals Methylglyoxal-Derived Advanced Glycation MG-H1 Free Adduct Is a Risk Marker in Non-Diabetic and Diabetic Chronic Kidney Disease

Accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) is linked to decline in renal function, particularly in patients with diabetes. Major forms of AGEs in serum are protein-bound AGEs and AGE free adducts. In this study, we assessed levels of AGEs in subjects with and without diabetes, with normal renal function and stages 2 to 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD), to identify which AGE has the greatest progressive change with decline in renal function and change in diabetes. We performed a cross-sectional study of patients with stages 2–4 CKD, with and without diabetes, and healthy controls (n = 135). Nine protein-bound and free adduct AGEs were quantified in serum. Most protein-bound AGEs increased moderately through stages 2–4 CKD whereas AGE free adducts increased markedly. Methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone MG-H1 free adduct was the AGE most responsive to CKD status, increasing 8-fold and 30-fold in stage 4 CKD in patients without and with diabetes, respectively. MG-H1 Glomerular filtration flux was increased 5-fold in diabetes, likely reflecting increased methylglyoxal glycation status. We conclude that serum MG-H1 free adduct concentration was strongly related to stage of CKD and increased in diabetes status. Serum MG-H1 free adduct is a candidate AGE risk marker of non-diabetic and diabetic CKD.     

An AW-HARIS Based Automated Segmentation of Human Liver Using CT Images

In the digestion of amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipids, as well as protein synthesis from the consumed food, the liver has many diverse responsibilities and functions that are to be performed. Liver disease may impact the hormonal and nutritional balance in the human body. The earlier diagnosis of such critical conditions may help to treat the patient effectively. A computationally efficient AW-HARIS algorithm is used in this paper to perform automated segmentation of CT scan images to identify abnormalities in the human liver. The proposed approach can recognize the abnormalities with better accuracy without training, unlike in supervisory procedures requiring considerable computational efforts for training. In the earlier stages, the CT images are pre-processed through an Adaptive Multiscale Data Condensation Kernel to normalize the underlying noise and enhance the image’s contrast for better segmentation. Then, the preliminary phase’s outcome is being fed as the input for the Anisotropic Weighted–-Heuristic Algorithm for Real-time Image Segmentation algorithm that uses texture-related information, which has resulted in precise outcome with acceptable computational latency when compared to that of its counterparts. It is observed that the proposed approach has outperformed in the majority of the cases with an accuracy of 78%. The smart diagnosis approach would help the medical staff accurately predict the abnormality and disease progression in earlier ailment stages.     

VR-Rides: An object-oriented application framework for immersive virtual reality exergames

Exercise can improve health and well-being. With this in mind, immersive virtual reality (VR) games are being developed to promote physical activity, and are generally evaluated through user studies. However, building such applications is time consuming and expensive. This paper introduces VR-Rides, an object-oriented application framework focused on the development of experiment-oriented VR exergames. Following the modular programming pattern, this framework facilitates the integration of different hardware (such as VR devices, sensors, and physical activity devices) within immersive VR experiences that overlay game narratives on Google Street View panoramas. Combining software engineering and interaction patterns, modules of VR-Rides can be easily added and managed in the Unity game engine. We evaluate the code efficiency and development effort across our VR exergames developed using VR-Rides. The reliability, maintainability, and usability of our framework are also demonstrated via code metrics analysis and user studies. The results show that investing in a systematic approach to reusing code and design can be a worthwhile effort for researchers beyond software engineering.     

Robust LCMV Beamformer for Direction of Arrival Mismatch Without Beam Broadening

Wireless Personal Communications - In this work, we propose a new and efficient algorithm to mitigate the signal look direction error problem in adaptive beamforming without broadening the main...