Protein‐based bioplastics and their antibacterial potential

The use of conventional petroleum‐based plastics in many applications poses the risk of contamination, potentially causing infection when used in medical applications, and contamination when used in food packaging. Nontraditional materials such as protein are being examined for their potential use in the production of bioplastics for applications that require uncontaminated materials. The proteins of albumin, soy, and whey provide possible sources of raw material for bioplastic production, as they have already been utilized in the area of edible films and low‐stress applications. We conducted this study to investigate the thermal, viscoelastic, and antibacterial properties of the albumin, soy, and whey bioplastics with the use of three plasticizers—water, glycerol, and natural rubber latex (NRL). Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli were utilized as Gram (+) and Gram (?) species, respectively, for antimicrobial analysis. Albumin and whey bioplastics exhibited similar thermal and viscoelastic properties, whereas soy bioplastics had varied viscoelastic properties based on the plasticizer used. In terms of antibacterial activity, the albumin–glycerol and whey–glycerol were the best bioplastics, as no bacterial growth was observed on the plastics after 24 h of inoculation. In terms of the future impact of this research, the aim will be to scale up production of the bioplastics for use in food packaging as well as biomedical applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41931.     

Functionalized gold nanoparticles: a detailed in vivo multimodal microscopic brain distribution study

In the present study, the in vivo distribution of polyelectrolyte multilayer coated gold nanoparticles is shown, starting from the living animal down to cellular level. The coating was designed with functional moieties to serve as a potential nano drug for prion disease. With near infrared time-domain imaging we followed the biodistribution in mice up to 7 days after intravenous injection of the nanoparticles. The peak concentration in the head of mice was detected between 19 and 24 h. The precise particle distribution in the brain was studied ex vivo by X-ray microtomography, confocal laser and fluorescence microscopy. We found that the particles mainly accumulate in the hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, and the cerebral cortex.     

Design of Concentric Circular Antenna Array with Central Element Feeding Using Particle Swarm Optimization with Constriction Factor and Inertia Weight Approach and Evolutionary Programing Technique

In this paper the maximum sidelobe level (SLL) reductions without and with central element feeding in various designs of three-ring concentric circular antenna arrays (CCAA) are examined using a real-coded Evolutionary Programming (EP) to finally determine the global optimal three-ring CCAA design. Standard real-coded Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and real-coded Particle Swarm Optimization with Constriction Factor and Inertia Weight Approach (PSOCFIWA) are also employed for comparative optimization but both prove to be suboptimal. This paper assumes non-uniform excitation weights and uniform spacing of excitation elements in each three-ring CCAA design. Among the various CCAA designs, the design containing central element and 4, 6 and 8 elements in three successive concentric rings proves to be such global optimal design set with global minimum SLL (−39.66 dB) as determined by Evolutionary Programming.     

Response of laying Japanese quails to graded levels of essential amino acids profile with reduced dietary protein

The effect on egg production of graded levels of ideal amino acids, combined with reduced protein in the diet, was investigated in 312 laying quails aged 6–18 weeks. The quails were offered six diets, each of which contained one of three levels of amino acids (85, 100 and 115% of essential amino acids (EAAs)) together with 5% or without fishmeal (FM) (3 × 2 factorial design). Each diet was offered to 26 replicated groups of two quails each. Hen‐day and hen‐housed egg production did not differ as a result of EAA level, protein type or their interaction during the overall period of egg production. Egg weight improved linearly (P < 0.01) with increased EAA levels, while egg mass output per bird per day remained similar at the 100 and 115% EAA levels. Quails fed higher (100 and 115%) EAA levels had an improved feed conversion ratio (P < 0.01) compared to birds fed 85% EAA. The gain in body weight during the laying period was higher (P < 0.01) at the 100 or 115% than at 85% EAA levels The ratio of egg mass or egg mass and live weight gain, together, to protein intake improved (P < 0.01) linearly with a decrease in EAA levels in the diets, while better (P < 0.01) energy efficiency (EE, energy intake: egg mass) and net EE (energy intake: egg mass plus gain) was obtained in higher EAA levels (100 or 115%). Protein and energy efficiencies remained similar due to protein type or interaction. Shape index, albumen index, yolk index, yolk colour and relative shell weight did not differ due to EAA levels, protein type or their interaction. Eggs laid from quails fed diets with 100% EAAs without FM and 115% EAAs with or without FM had higher shell thickness than those on 85% EAAs irrespective of protein type. The retention of nitrogen and calcium retention was higher (P < 0.01) at the 115% EAA level. The results indicated a dietary level of 100% EAA (185 g kg^?1 crude protein (CP)) with 12.13 MJ kg^?1 was suitable for laying quails of 6–18 weeks of age. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Heat transport in magnetohydrodynamic physiological blood flow through a constricted artery

In this paper, we study how the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pulsatile flow of blood and heat transfer works through a constricted artery with a flexible wall. The human circulatory network consists of veins and arteries that sometimes contain constrictions, allowing the impact of the applied magnetic field on flow fields to be observed. The walls of the flowing medium are considered to be a function of time. The flowing blood is hypothesized as shear-thinning fluid, emulating Yeleswarapu's viscosity replica. Additionally, we consider the energy equation to understand the impact of a magnetic field on heat transfer rates for such flows. The vorticity transport equation along with the stream function equation is obtained using the vorticity–stream function technique. Numerical solutions of the governing nonlinear MHD equations and energy equation in addition to physically pertinent flow conditions were achieved by adapting a finite difference scheme. Considerable attention has been paid to ensure an accurate comparison between the current and previous results. The two sets of numbers appear to match closely. For an even deeper understanding of the flow and heat transport process, the effects of height of stenosis and diverse physiological parameters on time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS), rate of heat transport, and so on are explored in depth through their graphical depiction. In the vicinity of the constriction, it is observed that the separation becomes longer with increasing constriction height. Higher magnetic force strength leads to a reduction in separation length. Newtonian fluids transfer heat more rapidly in their narrowing regions and downstream than fluids with non-Newtonian behavior.     

Simulation studies on the nature of fractal dimensions of glass-ceramics at percolation threshold

We simulate the fractal dimensions (D) of glass-ceramics resulting from different glass microstructures, at their percolation thresholds. We consider only crystallisation in glasses resulting from phase separation by nucleation. Phase separation may occur at a lower temperature or at the same temperature at which crystallisation takes place. We have studied both cases. The structure-property relationship of such glass-ceramics is dictated by the evolution of the structure of crystalline phase percolation cluster. At the percolation threshold the structure of the percolation path may be quantified by its fractal dimensionality (D). The value of D displays universal behaviour for a system in the thermodynamic limit. However, it deviates owing to finite size effects. Our simulations suggest that these deviations for a given system size depend on the nature of the glass microstructure. As the value of D reaches Euclidean dimension, the system attains more compact percolation cluster. This has invariably occurred in the present investigation for fine crystalline phase microstructure.     

Detecting anomalous packets in network transfers: investigations using PCA,autoencoder and isolation forest in TCP

Machine Learning - Large-scale scientific workflows rely heavily on high-performance file transfers. These transfers require strict quality parameters such as guaranteed bandwidth, no packet loss...     

A Three-Phase AC-to-DC Power Transistor Converter-Controlled DC Motor Drive

A three-phase ac-to-dc power transistor converter that is suitable for speed control of a dc motor and for a variable dc power supply is investigated. The availability of power transistors of fairly high power rating has made the task of ac-to-dc conversion relatively easy due to simplification of the converter circuit configuration. The external performance characteristics of the power transistor converter-controlled separately excited dc motor are obtained by employing the equal pulsewidth modulation (EPWM) control technique with 18 pulses per half-cycle of the supply voltage and are verified experimentally. There is good agreement between experimental and theoretical results. The external performance is also evaluated under constant torque operation. The use of inductance-capacitance (LC) filters for reducing the effect of predominant supply harmonics is briefly discussed. Experimental oscillograms of some typical waveforms are illustrated to verify the basic principles of operation.