Intelligent networks for crosswise stream nanofluidic model with Cu–H2O over porous stretching medium

The porous media transport theories are thoroughly operative to analyse transferral phenomenon in reducing the bio-convective flow instabilities and biological tissues. The present study is designed to investigate the heat transfer phenomena in nanofluidic system involving Cu ? H₂O over the stretched porous media with the strength of stochastic solver via Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation networks. The mathematical model of physical phenomena is described in PDEs that are reduced to system of ODEs through scaling group transformations. The datasets are determined through explicit Runge-Kutta numerical method and used as a target parameter for the development of continuous neural networks mapping. The training, testing and validation processes are utilized in learning of neural network models based on backpropagation of Levenberg-Marquardt technique to determines the solution of different scenarios constructed on the various values of porosity parameter along with six different cases based on the stretching ratio values. Validation and verification of neural network model to find the solution of nanfluidic problem is endorsed on the assessment of achieved accuracy through mean squared error, error histograms and regression studies.     

Genetic Mapping of ms1s,a Recessive Gene for Male Sterility in Common Wheat

The utilization of heterosis is an important way to improve wheat yield, and the production of wheat hybrid seeds mainly relies on male-sterile lines. Male sterility in line 15 Fan 03 derived from a cross of 72,180 and Xiaoyan 6 is controlled by a single recessive gene. The gene was mapped to the distal region of chromosome 4BS in a genetic interval of 1.4 cM and physical distance of 6.57 Mb between SSR markers Ms4BS42 and Ms4BS199 using an F₂ population with 1205 individuals. Sterile individuals had a deletion of 4.57 Mb in the region presumed to carry the Ms1 locus. The allele for sterility was therefore named ms1s. Three CAPS markers were developed and verified from the region upstream of the deleted fragment and can be used for ms1s marker-assisted selection in wheat hybrid breeding. This work will enrich the utilization of male sterility genetic resources.     

Energy and economic evaluation and multicriteria optimization of different arrangements of integrated photovoltaic thermal and heat recovery wheel system

The present research deals with the multicriteria optimization of two arrangements of a combined system including a building-integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPV/T) with a heat recovery wheel (HRW) for Kermanshah weather condition in Iran. The considered arrangements have two operational approaches including heat and cool approaches. In the heat approach of the arrangement (I), the fresh ambient air is preheated in two steps by flowing first among the HRW and then through the BIPV/T collector. In the cool approach of the arrangement (I), the outdoor air stream enters the HRW and is precooled there by exchanging heat to the building exhaust air. The exhaust air then enters the BIPV/T collector and cools the PV panels, thereby augmenting their efficiency. The cool approach of the arrangement (II) is like the arrangement (I), while in the heat approach of the arrangement (II), the outdoor air first gets into the BIPV/T collector and then flows among the TW. The uniform end of annual cost (UAC) and yearly available energy are considered as the objective functions. The obtained results revealed that however energetic performance of the arrangement (I) is more suitable than the arrangement (II); its UAC is 4441$ higher than that of the arrangement (II).     

Internet accessible hot cell with gamma spectroscopy at the Missouri S&T nuclear reactor

A dual-chambered internet-accessible heavily shielded facility with pneumatic access to the University of Missouri Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) 200 kW Research Nuclear Reactor (MSTR) core has been built and is currently available for irradiation and analysis of samples. The facility allows authorized distance users engaged in collaborative activities with Missouri S&T to remotely manipulate and analyze neutron irradiated samples. The system consists of two shielded compartments, one for multiple sample storage, and the other dedicated exclusively for radiation measurements and spectroscopy. The second chamber has multiple detector ports, with graded shielding, and has the capability to support gamma spectroscopy using radiation detectors such as an HPGe detector. Both these chambers are connected though a rapid pneumatic system with access to the MSTR nuclear reactor core. This new internet-based system complements the MSTR's current bare pneumatic tube (BPT) and cadmium lined pneumatic tube (CPT) facilities. The total transportation time between the core and the hot cell, for samples weighing 10 g, irradiated in the MSTR core, is roughly 3.0 s. This work was funded by the DOE grant number DE-FG07-07ID14852 and expands the capabilities of teaching and research at the MSTR. It allows individuals who do not have on-site access to a nuclear reactor facility to remotely participate in research and educational activities.     

Amorphous carbon films in direct current magnetron sputtering from regenerative sooting discharge

We present results of carbon coatings on metal substrates in cylindrical hollow cathode (CHC) direct current magnetron sputtering. This is a new technique for making amorphous carbon films by CHC magnetron sputtering from a regenerative sooting discharge. The carbon films are deposited on Cu and Al substrates in a Ne atmosphere and compared with the films of carbon soot on the same materials produced from a conventional 80A arc discharge between graphite electrodes in a He background gas. Raman spectroscopy reveals the existence of graphite and diamond-like structures from the arc discharge while in CHC magnetron sputtering, graphite-like structures are dominant. X-ray diffraction data of samples from the arc discharge show nano-size precipitates of Al₄C₃ of rhombohedral and hexagonal form for the aluminium sample and probable formation of diamond and hexagonal carbon in copper whilst in magnetron sputtering we obtain amorphous carbon films. Scanning electron microscope images of the surface show a collection of loose agglomerates of carbon particles in the arc discharge whereas, for magnetron sputtering, structures are regular with smooth edges and fine grains.     

Energy-Efficient Computing for Extreme-Scale Science

A many-core processor design for high-performance systems draws from embedded computing's low-power architectures and design processes, providing a radical alternative to cluster solutions.     

Gender differences in ethanol preference and ingestion in rats. The role of the gonadal steroid environment

An ethanol oral self administration paradigm showed the existence of gender differences in alcohol preference in rats: whereas males and females initiated alcohol drinking at similar rates, females maintained their preference for ethanol over a longer duration. Neonatal estrogenization of females, which effectively confers a male phenotype on a genetically female brain, resulted in patterns of drinking that were similar to those displayed by intact male rats, indicating that gender differences in alcohol drinking patterns may be, at least partially, accounted for by sexual differentiation of the brain. To test whether gonadal steroids also exert activational effects on ethanol-seeking behavior, we also examined the effects of gonadectomy alone, or in combination with gonadal steroid replacement therapy. Castration did not significantly alter ethanol consumption in males, although treatment of castrated rats with dihydrotestosterone resulted in a significant inhibition of this parameter. As compared with the situation in intact female rats, ethanol ingestion was significantly reduced in ovariectomized female rats receiving estradiol (E2) and in ovariectomized female rats receiving combined E2 and progesterone replacement therapy. However, neither ovariectomy nor progesterone replacement in ovariectomized rats resulted in ethanol drinking patterns that were different compared to those observed in intact female controls. Thus, dihydrotestosterone and E2, respectively, appear to exert modulatory influences on the male and female rats' preference for ethanol, but further investigations are necessary to determine to what extent these effects result from activational actions on the brain.     

Nicotine-induced place preferences following prior nicotine exposure in rats

The motivational properties of morphine and nicotine were investigated in an automated conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure using a two-compartment apparatus. The accuracy of the photocell recording system was assessed by correlation with direct observation. In a counterbalanced conditioning design, graded doses of morphine (0.1-3.2 mg/kg SC) produced dose-related CPP. Under similar conditions, a dose of nicotine (0.6 mg/kg SC) previously reported to produce CPP failed to show an effect. Increasing the number of conditioning trials from 4 to 12 did not facilitate CPP with nicotine. After pretreatment with nicotine (0.4 mg/kg SC) daily for 7 days prior to conditioning, nicotine (0.4-0.8 mg/kg) produced increasing magnitudes of CPP. Locomotor activity was assessed during both conditioning and extinction tests. During conditioning, nicotine but not morphine decreased activity in the first conditioning trial, but by the fourth trial, marked stimulation was apparent following administration of either drug. Activity in the drug-paired compartment was not increased during tests for CPP carried out in the undrugged state following 4 conditioning trials with either morphine or nicotine, but there was evidence for conditioned hyperactivity after 12 conditioning trials with nicotine. The results suggest that motivational properties of nicotine can be detected in counterbalanced CPP procedures, but only in subjects with a history of nicotine exposure. The CPP produced by morphine or nicotine does not appear to be an artefact associated with conditioned changes in locomotor activity.     

Fixed-Point Implementation of Fast QR-Decomposition Recursive Least-Squares Algorithms (FQRD-RLS): Stability Conditions and Quantization Errors Analysis

The fast QR-decomposition based recursive least-squares (FQRD-RLS) algorithms offer RLS-like convergence and misadjustment at a lower computational cost, and therefore are desirable for implementation on a fixed-point digital signal processor (DSP). Furthermore, the FQRD-RLS algorithms are derived from QR-decomposition based RLS algorithms that are well known for their numerical stability in finite precision. Hence, these algorithms are often assumed numerically stable, although there is no rigorous analysis addressing the stability of such algorithms in finite precision. In this paper, we derive the conditions that guarantee stability of the FQRD-RLS algorithms, and also derive mathematical expressions for the mean-squared quantization error (MSQE) of internal variables of the FQRD-RLS algorithms at steady state. The objective is to quantify the propagation error due to quantization effects. The derived MSQE expressions have been verified by comparisons with fixed-point computer simulations.     

Effect of Cooking on Soluble and Insoluble Oxalate Contents in Selected Pakistani Vegetables and Beans

The present study evaluated the effects of cooking on the total, soluble and insoluble oxalate contents in six different types of locally consumed vegetables and beans (spinach, carrots, beet root, white bean, red bean and soybean). The foods were cooked in water until they reached the soft consistency (12–15 min for vegetable and 2 h for beans). The raw and cooked samples were analyzed for their soluble and insoluble oxalate contents using the HPLC techniques. The total oxalate content of raw spinach, carrot, beet root, white bean, red bean and soybean, were found to be 978 ± 5, 49 ± 7, 67 ± 12, 158 ± 16, 113 ± 15, and 497 ± 22 mg/100 g of fresh weight respectively. The total oxalate contents of these foods after boiling were 477 ± 8, 16 ± 9, 52 ± 14, 47 ± 17, 72 ± 17, and 224 ± 25 mg/100 g of fresh weight respectively. The results showed that boiling significantly (P < 0.05) reduced both soluble and insoluble oxalate contents. More losses were observed in the soluble than the insoluble oxalates. The reduction in soluble oxalate in different vegetables ranged from 16 to 66% whereas in beans ranged from 40 to 77%. The data suggests that the use of boiled vegetables can be an effective strategy for reducing the dietary intake of oxalates in individuals predisposed to the development of kidney stones.