Shear velocity-based uncertainty quantification for rock joint shear strength

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - The shear strength of rock joints is an important property required in order to analyze the stability of rock slopes and tunnels. However,...     

Effect of ferroelectric polarization on piezo/photocatalysis in Ag nanoparticles loaded 0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3–0.5Ba(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 composites towards the degradation of organic pollutants

A 0.5(Ba_0.7Ca_0.3)TiO₃–0.5Ba(Zr_0.1Ti_0.9)O₃ (BCT-BZT) ceramic was studied for photocatalysis and piezocatalysis effects using dye degradation (methylene blue, rhodamine B, and methyl orange) and bacterial (Escherichia coli) disinfection from aqueous solution. To examine the effect of ferroelectric polarization, BCT-BZT powder was poled using the corona poling technique. Same time, BCT-BZT was converted into Ag/BCT-BZT composites as Ag induced surface plasmon resonance effect during photocatalysis. Piezocatalysis performance was assessed for dyes mineralization under ultrasonication. There was a significant impact of silver nanoparticles on the photo/piezocatalysis performance of BCT-BZT. Similarly, electric poling has also played a positive role in improving the photo/piezocatalysis in view of various dye degradation. These samples also showed effective antibacterial performance.     

Geometrical Variability Impact on the Performance of Sub - 3 nm Gate-All-Around Stacked Nanosheet FET

Silicon - To meet the scaling targets and continue with Moore’s Law, the transition from FinFET to Gate-All-Around (GAA) nanosheet Field Effect Transistors (FETs) is the necessity for...     

Ag2O–Al2O3–ZrO2 Trimetallic Nanocatalyst for High Performance Photodegradation of Nicosulfuron Herbicide

Topics in Catalysis - In the present study, Ag2O–Al2O3–ZrO2 based trimetallic oxide nanocatalyst was designed using simple microwave assisted reduction method. It was characterized...     

Effect of puffing on oil characteristics ofAmaranth (Rajgeera) seeds

Puffing or popping is a common method of processingAmaranthus cruentus (Syn.Amaranthus paniculatus L. or Rajgeera) grain. Investigations into the effect of this processing treatment have shown the percent unsaturation in the oil to decrease from 75.5% to 62.3%. The maximum effect is on linoleic acid, the quantity of which decreased sharply from 46.8% to 27.0%. Squalene also increased by 15.5%, due to puffing of amaranth seeds.     

Texture modeling in carbon-carbon composites based on mesophase precursor matrices

A computational modeling study of texture formation in carbon-carbon composites based on carbon fibers and carbonaceous mesophase precursors is presented. The modeling predictions on texture formation and disclination structures are quantitatively validated with extensive experimental data. The number and type of disclinations displayed by the carbonaceous mesophase matrix is shown to be governed by the elasticity of the mesophase, the carbon fiber-mesophase interfacial energy, the size of the fibers, and positional arrangement of the fibers. The simulations provide new insights on the fundamental principles that govern texturing and disclination nucleation, and on how to control the structure of carbon-carbon composites through fiber concentration, fiber cross-section, and fiber-matrix interaction.     

Optimization of Aspergillus niger Fermentation for the Production of Glucose Oxidase

A number of nutritional factors influencing glucose oxidase (EC 1.1.3.4) production by Aspergillus niger NCIM 545 were studied. The synthesis of glucose oxidase by A. niger was investigated in two steps using submerged fermentation at 30 ± 2 °C and 180 rpm for 96 h. Primarily, nutritional components were selected by one-factor-at-a-time method, and the significance of each component with respect to glucose oxidase production was identified by Plackett–Burman design (seven variables including six nutritional viz. sucrose, sodium nitrate, peptone, calcium carbonate, magnesium sulfate, and potassium dihydrogen phosphate, and one dummy or unassigned variable were studied with eight experiments). In the second step, concentration of most significant factors and their interaction were studied with response surface methodology (central composite design). Each variable in the design was studied at five different levels, with all variables taken at a central coded value of zero. Considerable amount of glucose oxidase was produced from A. niger species with sucrose as the carbon source, sodium nitrate as the inorganic nitrogen source, and peptone as the organic nitrogen source. Glucose oxidase activity increased remarkably by 28.93 fold (from 0.00993 to 0.29 U ml⁻¹) with CaCO₃-supplemented media. The outcome of Plackett–Burman design showed CaCO₃, peptone, and MgSO₄ as significant parameters. Further optimization using a three-factor central composite design with 20 experiments increased yield of glucose oxidase from 0.29 to 2.05 U ml⁻¹ (sevenfold) with a decrease in cultivation time from 96 to 72 h.     

RFID-enabled item-level product information revelation

We consider a homogeneous product market and the incentive for oligopolists to share item-level product information with their customers. Enabled by Radio Frequency Identification technology, each firm has the option to record and reveal item-level information of a proportion of its products. We consider a two-stage game where each firm first decides its production plan and then determines its level of information revelation. With a constant clearance discount rate, we derive pure strategy equilibria that are subgame perfect and demonstrate that complete information sharing is the unique Nash equilibrium for the game when the common demand is volatile and that no information revelation is the unique Nash equilibrium when demand is not volatile. Furthermore, we show that the Nash equilibrium is the same with a decreasing clearance discount rate and that neither complete information revelation nor zero information revelation is consistent with an equilibrium with an increasing discount rate. Results are similar in a duopoly non-homogeneous product market scenario.     

Thermodynamic models for vapor-liquid equilibria of nitrogen + oxygen + carbon dioxide at low temperatures

For the design and optimization of CO₂ recovery from alcoholic fermentation processes by distillation, models for vapor-liquid equilibria (VLE) are needed. Two such thermodynamic models, the Peng-Robinson equation of state (EOS) and a model based on Henry’s law constants, are proposed for the ternary mixture N₂ + O₂ + CO₂. Pure substance parameters of the Peng-Robinson EOS are taken from the literature, whereas the binary parameters of the Van der Waals one-fluid mixing rule are adjusted to experimental binary VLE data. The Peng-Robinson EOS describes both binary and ternary experimental data well, except at high pressures approaching the critical region. A molecular model is validated by simulation using binary and ternary experimental VLE data. On the basis of this model, the Henry’s law constants of N₂ and O₂ in CO₂ are predicted by molecular simulation. An easy-to-use thermodynamic model, based on those Henry’s law constants, is developed to reliably describe the VLE in the CO₂-rich region.     

Study of the microbial diversity and antimicrobial properties of Irish edible brown seaweeds

Brown Irish edible seaweeds, Himanthalia elongata, Laminaria sachharina and Laminaria digitata, were evaluated for the microbiota in raw and heat processed form. Raw seaweeds showed complete absence of aerobic mesophiles, halophiles, yeasts and molds. However, heating at 85 °C for 15 min resulted in spore germination. Bacterial counts as high as 10⁷ were observed for aerobic mesophiles and halophiles. Heating above 95 °C for 15 min resulted in complete inactivation of surface microflora. Bacteria belonging to Bacillaceae, Paenibacillaceae, Moraxellaceae and Enterobacteriaceae family were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing. In vitro antimicrobial activity of the methanolic extracts of the seaweed on food pathogenic and food spoilage bacteria were also evaluated. The seaweeds in their raw state had almost 100% inhibition against Listeria monocytogenes; 98% and 93% inhibition was achieved against Pseudomonas aeruginosa by H. elongata and L. saccharina extracts, respectively. Heating the seaweeds resulted in the reduction of antimicrobial activity as compared to raw. The effect was more pronounced against Gram negative bacteria.