Modified differential evolution algorithm for simple assembly line balancing with a limit on the number of machine types

This article proposes the differential evolution algorithm (DE) and the modified differential evolution algorithm (DE-C) to solve a simple assembly line balancing problem type 1 (SALBP-1) and SALBP-1 when the maximum number of machine types in a workstation is considered (SALBP-1M). The proposed algorithms are tested and compared with existing effective heuristics using various sets of test instances found in the literature. The computational results show that the proposed heuristics is one of the best methods, compared with the other approaches.     

CRISPR/Cas9-RNA interference system for combinatorial metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used in industrial biotechnology for the production of fuels, chemicals, food ingredients, food and beverages, and pharmaceuticals. To obtain high-performing strains for such bioprocesses, it is often necessary to test tens or even hundreds of metabolic engineering targets, preferably in combinations, to account for synergistic and antagonistic effects. Here, we present a method that allows simultaneous perturbation of multiple selected genetic targets by combining the advantage of CRISPR/Cas9, in vivo recombination, USER assembly and RNA interference. CRISPR/Cas9 introduces a double-strand break in a specific genomic region, where multiexpression constructs combined with the knockdown constructs are simultaneously integrated by homologous recombination. We show the applicability of the method by improving cis,cis-muconic acid production in S. cerevisiae through simultaneous manipulation of several metabolic engineering targets. The method can accelerate metabolic engineering efforts for the construction of future cell factories.     

In vitro studies on crystallization of SeMHP and strategies for nucleation reduction

Naturally many types of crystals grow in our human body. Especially different crystals or minerals are deposited in human urinary tracts. These crystals are named as octacalcium phosphate (OCP), calcium hydrogen phosphate (CHP), hydroxyapatite (HAP), magnesium hydrogen phosphate (MHP) etc. The SeMg-HPO₄ crystals are also known as Selenio-Newberryite crystals. The main reasons for the formation of crystals are due to the increased concentration of magnesium and phosphate ions in the human urine. In the present study, SeMHP crystals are grown in silica gel medium at various concentrations and different pH values in sun light medium and laser exposed medium. It has been observed that the nucleation rate was partially and completely reduced in sunlight and laser exposed medium, respectively. During the growth period, Liesegang rings were observed. Characteristic studies of SeMHP crystals such as FTIR, AAS, SEM, XRD, TGA/DTA and etching were done. The results are compared with the reported values and discussed in detail.     

Facile fabrication of organobentonite–carboxymethyl chitosan hybrid film that absorbs organophosphate insecticides

Organophosphate (OP)-insecticide-absorbing hybrid film containing 10% (w/w) organobentonite and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCh) was fabricated and tested. Bentonite clay was modified to organobentonite by two steps modification with (1) NaCl and (2) plant alkaloid monovalent cation berberine. CMCh was synthesized from commercial shrimp chitosan. Afterwards, organobentonite was immobilized into CMCh matrix via in situ polymerization of CMCh to cast a hybrid film with 0.5 mm thickness. Scanning electron microscopy images of organobentonite powder and the film revealed the porous material and layer-upon-layer structure, respectively, which is supposed to enhance the water permeability of the film. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry analysis revealed similarly chemical characteristics of the CMCh component in the film and synthesized CMCh polymer powder. The film was then investigated to remove four OP insecticides including profenofos, chlorpyrifos, methyl parathion and dimethoate of 5 ppm concentration in spiked water samples via batch filtration. High-pressure liquid chromatography analysis showed that the removal rates for profenofos, chlorpyrifos, methyl parathion and dimethoate after seven batches were 42, 39, 24 and 20%, respectively. Hence, absorptivity of this film for tested OP insecticides was demonstrated. Furthermore, the combination of organobentonite and natural chitosan is promising for novel absorptive film material generation with regard to environmental clean-up study.     

Innovative and intensified technology for the biological pretreatment of agro waste for ethanol production

Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant, renewable resource, but the structural and chemical complexity of biomass acts as a hindrance in its effective utilization for cellulosic ethanol production. Hence, effective pretreatment is always necessary to remove the surrounding matrix of lignin prior to the enzymatic hydrolysis. Pretreatment of rice straw by Pleurotus florida was found to be effective and resulted in 49% lignin degradation, whereas fungus along with grape leaves resulted in 99% lignin degradation. This method not only explores a pathway for utilizing the solid agro waste but also results in a value-added product of edible mushrooms that has proved to be the best pretreatment technology for ethanol production. FTIR and SEM analysis confirmed the structural transformation taking place during the pretreatment. The components of grape leaves were also analyzed using GC-MS.     

High Dietary Cholesterol Masks Type 2 Diabetes-Induced Osteopenia and Changes in Bone Microstructure in Rats

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often occurs concurrently with high blood cholesterol or dyslipidemia. Although T2DM has been hypothesized to impair bone microstructure, several investigations showed that, when compared to age-matched healthy individuals, T2DM patients had normal or relatively high bone mineral density (BMD). Since cholesterol and lipids profoundly affect the function of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, it might be cholesterol that obscured the changes in BMD and bone microstructure in T2DM. The present study, therefore, aimed to determine bone elongation, epiphyseal histology, and bone microstructure in non-obese T2DM Goto-Kakizaki rats treated with normal (GK-ND) and high cholesterol diet. We found that volumetric BMD was lower in GK-ND rats than the age-matched wild-type controls. In histomorphometric study of tibial metaphysis, T2DM evidently suppressed osteoblast function as indicated by decreases in osteoblast surface, mineral apposition rate, and bone formation rate in GK-ND rats. Meanwhile, the osteoclast surface and eroded surface were increased in GK-ND rats, thus suggesting an activation of bone resorption. T2DM also impaired bone elongation, presumably by retaining the chondrogenic precursor cells in the epiphyseal resting zone. Interestingly, several bone changes in GK rats (e.g., increased osteoclast surface) disappeared after high cholesterol treatment as compared to wild-type rats fed high cholesterol diet. In conclusion, high cholesterol diet was capable of masking the T2DM-induced osteopenia and changes in several histomorphometric parameters that indicated bone microstructural defect. Cholesterol thus explained, in part, why a decrease in BMD was not observed in T2DM, and hence delayed diagnosis of the T2DM-associated bone disease.     

Empirical modeling of dynamic behaviors of pneumatic artificial muscle actuators

Pneumatic Artificial Muscle (PAM) actuators yield muscle-like mechanical actuation with high force to weight ratio, soft and flexible structure, and adaptable compliance for rehabilitation and prosthetic appliances to the disabled as well as humanoid robots or machines. The present study is to develop empirical models of the PAM actuators, that is, a PAM coupled with pneumatic control valves, in order to describe their dynamic behaviors for practical control design and usage. Empirical modeling is an efficient approach to computer-based modeling with observations of real behaviors. Different characteristics of dynamic behaviors of each PAM actuator are due not only to the structures of the PAM actuators themselves, but also to the variations of their material properties in manufacturing processes. To overcome the difficulties, the proposed empirical models are experimentally derived from real physical behaviors of the PAM actuators, which are being implemented. In case studies, the simulated results with good agreement to experimental results, show that the proposed methodology can be applied to describe the dynamic behaviors of the real PAM actuators.     

In vitro studies of calcium mixed minerals growth in different growth faces and semiconductor laser induced suppression of nuclei strategy

Kidney stone consists of various organic, inorganic and semi organic compounds. Mineral oxalate monohydrate and di-hydrate are the main organic constituents of kidney stones. However, mechanisms leading to the formation of mineral oxalate kidney stones are not clearly understood. The effect of some urinary stone constituents such as ammonium oxalate, calcium citrate, proteins and trace elements were reported by us. The calcium magnesium hydrogen phosphate (CaMHP) crystals were grown in SMS gel medium which provides the necessary kidney stimuli growth medium. The growth processes were done by single diffusion method for different physical and chemical parameters. The pH range in which HPO₄²⁻ ions dominates were considered which in turn is necessary for the growth of CaMHP crystals. In the present study, calcium magnesium hydrogen phosphate (CaMHP) crystals are grown in three different growth faces to attain the total nucleation reduction. As an extension of this research, many characterization studies have been carried out like XRD, FTIR, TGA, SEM and etching and the results are reported.     

A hop-count based positioning algorithm for wireless ad-hoc networks

We propose a range-free localization algorithm for a wireless ad-hoc network utilizing the hop-count metric’s ability to indicate proximity to anchors (i.e., nodes with known positions). In traditional sense, hop-count generally means the number of intermediate routers a datagram has to go through between its source and the destination node. We analytically show that hop-count could be used to indicate proximity relative to an anchor node. Our proposed algorithm is computationally feasible for resource constrained wireless ad-hoc nodes, and gives reasonable accuracy. We perform both real experiments and simulations to evaluate the algorithm’s performance. Experimental results show that our algorithm outperforms similar proximity based algorithms utilizing received signal strength and expected transmission count. We also analyze the impact of various parameters like the number of anchor nodes, placements of anchor nodes and varying transmission powers of the nodes on the hop-count based localization algorithm’s performance through simulation.     

High speed wide fan‐in designs using clock controlled dual keeper domino logic circuits

Clock Controlled Dual keeper Domino logic structures (CCDD_1 and CCDD_2) for achieving a high‐speed performance with low power consumption and a good noise margin are proposed in this paper. The keeper control circuit comprises an additional PMOS keeper transistor controlled by the clock and foot node voltage. This control mechanism offers abrupt conditional control of the keeper circuit and reduces the contention current, leading to high‐speed performance. The keeper transistor arrangement also reduces the loop gain associated with the feedback circuitry. Hence, the circuits offer less delay variability. The design and simulation of various wide fan‐in designs using 180 nm CMOS technology validates the proposed CCDD_1 and CCDD_2 designs, offering an increased speed performance of 7.2% and 8.5%, respectively, over a conventional domino logic structure. The noise gain margin analysis proves good robustness of the CCDD structures when compared with a conventional domino logic circuit configuration. A Monte Carlo simulation for 2,000 runs under statistical process variations demonstrates that the proposed CCDD circuits offer a significantly reduced delay variability factor.