Evaluation of enthalpy of sublimation of Zr(tmhd)4 by using thermogravimetric transpiration method

The metallo-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) of ZrO₂ films is promising in various technological fields. Zr(tmhd)₄, tetrakis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato)zirconium(IV), has been identified as an ideal precursor. The thermal stability and complete volatility of the synthesized zirconium precursor were inferred from the thermogravimetric analysis. The monomeric structure of the complex was confirmed by electron spray-ionization mass spectroscopy. The vapour pressure measurement was carried out by TG-based transpiration technique and the enthalpy of sublimation was calculated from the slope of Clausius-Clapeyron equation. This yielded a value of 85.36 (± 3.60) kJ mol^− 1 for the standard enthalpy of sublimation over the temperature span of 411-463 K.     

Effects of industrial by-product based geopolymers on the strength development of a soft soil

Portland cement is traditionally used as a binder in ground improvement projects on soft soil foundations. The use of cement in ground improvement projects, however, is fraught with both, financial and environmental concerns due to its relatively high cost, the use of natural resources and the high carbon footprint from cement production. Attempts are being made to find alternative environmentally friendly binders with a low carbon footprint using industrial by-products such as fly ash (FA) and slag (S). Using waste by-products such as FA and S to produce geopolymer binders, as novel green cementitious materials, may provide an environmentally friendly and effective ground improvement option. In this study, the effect of adding geopolymers to a soft soil was investigated for usage in deep soil mixing (DSM) applications. The soil was a soft marine clay known as Coode Island Silt (CIS). Different combinations of FA and S with six combinations of sodium and potassium based liquid alkaline activators (L) were added to the soil to study the effects on its engineering and chemical properties. These changes were evaluated via an unconfined compression strength (UCS) test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) tests. The tests were conducted after 3, 7, 14 and 28?days of curing. Based on the results, the important role of L in strength development was studied, and the combination of 30% NaOH with 70% Na₂SiO₃ was found to achieve the highest strengths. Furthermore, increasing the S content was found to result in significant improvements in strength. The excellent correlation between strength and stiffness shown in the results are expected to help in the development of relationships for strength prediction of these green binders in geotechnical applications. This study shows that FA and S based geopolymers can be used as sustainable binders in DSM projects, with significant environmental benefits.     

Effect of environmental factors [air and UV-C irradiation] on some fresh fruit juices

The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of environmental factors (air and UV-C irradiation) on various common fruits juices (lemon, orange, papaya and grape). Total phenolics, total ascorbic acid (AA) content and antioxidant capability were determined in atmospheric air oxidation on fresh fruit juices, and the effect of UV-C irradiation on AA was investigated in both fresh fruit juices and commercial AA using RP-HPLC. The total phenolics content was found to be 92.46?±?1.5, 41.53?±?2.1, 138.56?±?2.3 and 110.54?±?3.9?mg/100?ml of lemon, orange, papaya and grape juices, respectively. DPPH radical–scavenging activity of the fresh juices was 94.53?±?3.1, 82.36?±?2.2, 94.65?±?3.5 and 90.74?±?2.6 percentage, whereas the 1-day-old fruit juices showed reduced scavenging activity when compared to fresh juices. Total phenolic (TP) and DPPH-scavenging activity were significantly decreased in the mean at P?<?0.05 level. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) content of fresh fruit juices was determined through RP-HPLC; fruit juices that were kept in open container for 24 hrs and that were treated with UV irradiation have shown a decrease in AA content, when compared with control fresh juice samples. AA degradation increased with high significant differences at P?<?0.001 level, with the increase in oxidation time in atmospheric air and UV-C radiation.     

Adjoint operator approach to functional reliability analysis of passive fluid dynamical systems

Reliability analysis of passive systems mainly involves quantification of the margin to safety limits in probabilistic terms. For systems represented by complex models, propagating input uncertainty to get the response uncertainty and hence probability information requires intensive computational effort. Here a computationally efficient method for the functional reliability analysis of passive fluid dynamical systems is presented. The approach is based on continuous adjoint operator technique to generate a response surface approximating the given system model from the sensitivity coefficients. A numerical application of this method to the reliability analysis of heat transport in an asymmetrical natural convection loop is demonstrated. Computational efficiency and accuracy compared with the direct Monte-Carlo and forward response surface methods.     

Comparative Molecular Analysis of Primary Central Nervous System Lymphomas and Matched Vitreoretinal Lymphomas by Vitreous Liquid Biopsy

Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (PCNSL) is a lymphoid malignancy of the brain that occurs in ~1500 patients per year in the US. PCNSL can spread to the vitreous and retina, where it is known as vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL). While confirmatory testing for diagnosis is dependent on invasive brain tissue or cerebrospinal fluid sampling, the ability to access the vitreous as a proximal biofluid for liquid biopsy to diagnose PCNSL is an attractive prospect given ease of access and minimization of risks and complications from other biopsy strategies. However, the extent to which VRL, previously considered genetically identical to PCNSL, resembles PCNSL in the same individual with respect to genetic alterations, diagnostic strategies, and precision-medicine based approaches has hitherto not been explored. Furthermore, the degree of intra-patient tumor genomic heterogeneity between the brain and vitreous sites has not been studied. In this work, we report on targeted DNA next-generation sequencing (NGS) of matched brain and vitreous samples in two patients who each harbored VRL and PCSNL. Our strategy showed enhanced sensitivity for molecular diagnosis confirmation over current clinically used vitreous liquid biopsy methods. We observed a clonal relationship between the eye and brain samples in both patients, which carried clonal CDKN2A deep deletions, a highly recurrent alteration in VRL patients, as well as MYD88 p.L265P activating mutation in one patient. Several subclonal alterations, however, in the genes SETD2, BRCA2, TERT, and broad chromosomal regions showed heterogeneity between the brain and the eyes, between the two eyes, and among different regions of the PCNSL brain lesion. Taken together, our data show that NGS of vitreous liquid biopsies in PCNSL patients with VRL highlights shared and distinct genetic alterations that suggest a common origin for these lymphomas, but with additional site-specific alterations. Liquid biopsy of VRL accurately replicates the findings for PCNSL truncal (tumor-initiating) genomic alterations; it can also nominate precision medicine interventions and shows intra-patient heterogeneity in subclonal alterations. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first interrogation of genetic underpinnings of PCNSL with matched VRL samples. Our findings support continued investigation into the utility of vitreous liquid biopsy in precision diagnosis and treatment of PCNSL/VRL.     

Impact of oxygen enrichment on the engine's performance,emission and combustion behavior of a biofuel based reactivity controlled compression ignition engine

Diesel engine with RCCI (Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition) finds the next generation technology in engine research for combusting slow burning fuels such as vegetable oils and arriving extremely lower levels of smoke and NO (Nitric Oxide) emissions simultaneously. An attempt was made to operate a diesel engine on RCCI mode by injecting ethanol as low reactivity fuel at the intake manifold of the engine using sunflower based Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) as high reactivity fuel under oxygen enriched intake air. The influence of the combined effect of oxygen enrichment and RCCI mode on engine's behavior was studied using WCO as the high reactivity (main) fuel. Significant improvement (upto 33.5% with RCCI mode from 29.1% with neat WCO at peak power) in BTE (brake thermal efficiency) with drastic reduction in smoke (upto 48% with RCCI at the maximum efficiency point from 69% with neat WCO at peak power) and NO were achieved with injection of ethanol under RCCI mode when using WCO as base fuel mainly at high loads (power outputs). Combining oxygen enrichment with RCCI resulted in further improvement in BTE (upto 36.2%) and reduction in smoke (upto 37% at the maximum efficiency point), HC and CO emissions at all power outputs. Peak pressure and energy release rate were found to be superior with RCCI mode with EF (electronic fuel) injection of ethanol associated with oxygen enriched combustion. It is concluded that RCCI operation with injection of ethanol combined with oxygen enrichment could be preferred for very high BTE, lowest smoke and NO emissions using WCO as base fuel. The optimal level of low reactivity fuel blending with high reactivity WCO could be at the ethanol energy share of 25% for the highest thermal efficiency at peak load. The optimal oxygen concentration of 23% by volume could be preferred for best performance of the engine fueled with WCO as main fuel.     

Recurrent neural robot controllers: feedback mechanisms for identifying environmental motion dynamics

In this paper a series of recurrent controllers for mobile robots have been developed. The system combines the iterative learning capability of neural controllers and the optimisation ability of particle swarms. In particular, three controllers have been developed: an Exo-sensing, an Ego-sensing and a Composite controller which is the hybrid of the latter two. The task for each controller is to learn to follow a moving target and identify its trajectory using only local information. We show how the learned behaviours of each architecture rely on different sensory representations, although good results are obtained in all cases.     

Automatic classification of thyroid histopathology images using multi-classifier system

Multimedia Tools and Applications - A computer aided diagnosis system supports doctors by providing quantitative diagnostic clues from medical data. In this paper, we propose a computer aided...