Biodiesel production through hydrodynamic cavitation and performance testing

This paper presents the details of development of a biodiesel production test rig based on hydrodynamic cavitation followed by results of experimental investigation carried out on a four cylinder, direct injection water cooled diesel engine operating on diesel and biodiesel blend of Citrullus colocyntis (Thumba) oil. The experiment covers a wide range of engine rpm. Results show that biodiesel of Thumba oil produced through hydrodynamic cavitation technique can be used as an alternative fuel with better performance and lower emissions compared to diesel. The most significant conclusions are that (i) Biodiesel production through hydrodynamic cavitation technique seems to be a simple, efficient, time saving, eco-friendly and industrially viable process. (ii) 30% biodiesel blend of Thumba oil shows relatively higher brake power, brake thermal efficiency, reduced bsfc and smoke opacity with favourable p–θ diagram as compared to diesel.     

Molecular inflammation hypothesis of aging based on the anti-aging mechanism of calorie restriction

Accumulating evidence strongly suggests that oxidative stress underlies aging processes. Research provides consistent evidence that calorie restriction (CR) reduces age-related oxidative stress and has anti-inflammatory properties. However, information is lacking on the molecular mechanism that would better define the interrelation of reactive oxygen species and nitrogen species and the pro-inflammatory states of the aging process. In this review, the biochemical and molecular bases of the inflammatory process in the aging process are analyzed to delineate the molecular inflammation hypothesis of aging. The key players involved in the proposed hypothesis are the age-related upregulation of NF-kappa B, IL-1 beta, IL-6, TNFalpha, cyclooxygenase-2, and inducible NO synthase, all of which are attenuated by CR. Furthermore, age-related NF kappa B activation is associated with phosphorylation by I kappa B kinase/NIK and MAPKs, while CR blocked these activation processes. The modulation of these factors provides molecular insights of the anti-inflammatory action of CR in relation to the aging process. Based on available finding and our recent supporting evidence, we prefer to use "molecular inflammation" to emphasize the importance of the molecular reaction mechanisms and their aberrance, predisposing to fully expressed chronic inflammatory phenomena. It was further proposed that CR's major force of the regulation of redox-sensitive inflammation may well be its life-prolonging action.     

Spiral-CT-based assessment of tracheal stenoses using 3-D-skeletonization

PURPOSE: Demonstration of a technique for three-dimensional (3-D) assessment of tracheal-stenoses, regarding site, length and degree, based on spiral computed tomography (S-CT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: S-CT scanning and automated segmentation of the laryngo-tracheal tract (LTT) was followed by the extraction of the LTT medial axis using a skeletonization algorithm. Orthogonal to the medial axis the LTT 3-D cross-sectional profile was computed and presented as line charts, where degree and length was obtained. Values for both parameters were compared between 36 patients and 18 normal controls separately. Accuracy and precision was derived from 17 phantom studies. RESULTS: Average degree and length of tracheal stenoses was found to be 60.5% and 4.32 cm in patients compared with minor caliber changes of 8.8% and 2.31 cm in normal controls (p < 0.0001). For the phantoms an excellent correlation between the true and computed 3-D cross-sectional profile was found (p < 0.005) and an accuracy for length and degree measurements of 2.14 mm and 2.53% respectively could be determined. The corresponding figures for the precision were found to be 0.92 mm and 2.56%. CONCLUSION: LTT 3-D cross-sectional profiles permit objective, accurate and precise assessment of LTT caliber changes. Minor LTT caliber changes can be observed even in normals and, in case of an otherwise normal S-CT study, can be regarded as artifacts.     

Penetration enhancers and ocular bioadhesives: two new avenues for ophthalmic drug delivery

This review is focused on the two avenues of development that promise a major impact on future ocular drug therapeutics: bioadhesives, including hydrogels and other agents like carbopols, polyacrylic acids, chitosan, etc., and penetration enhancers, including different surfactants, calcium chelators, etc. The capacity of some polymers to adhere to the mucin coat covering the conjunctiva and the corneal surface of the eye forms the basis for ocular mucoadhesion. These systems markedly prolong the residence time of a drug in the conjunctival sac, since clearence is now controlled by the much slower rate of mucus turnover rather than the tear turnover rate. But improving the corneal drug retention alone is inadequate in bringing about a significant improvement of drug bioavailability. Another approach consists of transiently increasing the pentration characteristics of the cornea with appropriate substances, known as penetration enhancers or absorption promoters. The main aim of this article is to give an insight into the potential application of mucoadhesives and corneal penetration enhancers for the conception of innovative opthalmic delivery appraoches, to decrease the systemic side effects, and create a more focused effect, which may be achieved with lower doses of the drug. Ophthalmic formulations based on these mucoadhesives and penetration enhancers are simple to manufacture and exhibit an excellent tolerance when administered into the cornea. The use of the former considerably prolongs the corneal contact time and the use of the latter increases the rate and amount of drug transport. The various corneal epithelial barriers along with the major routes of transport of drugs are discussed. The article includes a list of the various substances in use or under investigation for the aforementioned properties, along with their mechanisms of action. A fair appraisal of the subject with regard to these two therapeutic approaches and any expected ill effects has been made.     

Spectral characteristics of a binary dye-mixture laser

We have investigated laser action in a binary mixture of dyes, Rh-6G and DCM, resulting in tunable laser emission over an extended frequency region. The two dyes absorb the same pump radiation but fluoresce over frequency ranges that are shifted with respect to each other, thereby resulting in extended tunability. Following a time-dependent analysis of a rate-equation model that describe the operation of such a laser, theoretical estimates for optimum dye concentrations and the corresponding extension of the laser tuning range have been obtained.     

Genetic programming for simultaneous feature selection and classifier design.

This paper presents an online feature selection algorithm using genetic programming (GP). The proposed GP methodology simultaneously selects a good subset of features and constructs a classifier using the selected features. For a c-class problem, it provides a classifier having c trees. In this context, we introduce two new crossover operations to suit the feature selection process. As a byproduct, our algorithm produces a feature ranking scheme. We tested our method on several data sets having dimensions varying from 4 to 7129. We compared the performance of our method with results available in the literature and found that the proposed method produces consistently good results. To demonstrate the robustness of the scheme, we studied its effectiveness on data sets with known (synthetically added) redundant/bad features.     

Weld Metal Microstructure Prediction in Submerged Arc Weld Metal of C‐Mn Steel

The prediction model has been developed for steel weld metal microstructural constituents as a function of flux ingredients such as CaO, MgO, CaF₂ and Al₂O₃ in submerged arc welding carried out at fixed welding parameters. The results of quantitative measurements of micro‐structural constituents on eighteen weld metal samples were utilised for developing the prediction equations of microstructural constituents applying statistical design of experiment for mixtures. Among the flux ingredients, CaO appears to be most important as an individual as well as interaction with other ingredients viz. CaF₂ and Al₂O₃ in influencing the amount of microstructural constituents in weld metal. The prediction equations have been checked for adequacy by performing tests on welding using randomly designed flux and found satisfactory. The iso‐response curves were developed for selected microstructural constituents to show their output levels at different percentage of flux ingredients.     

The case for technology in developing regions

Alongside good governance, technology is considered among the greatest enablers for improved quality of life. However, the majority of its benefits have been concentrated in industrialized nations and therefore limited to a fraction of the world's population. We believe that technology has a large role to play in developing regions, that "First World" technology to date has been a poor fit in these areas, and that there is thus a need for technology research for developing regions. Despite the relative infancy of technology studies in developing regions, anecdotal evidence suggests that access to technology has a beneficial economic impact. Cellular telephony is probably the most visible application, but there are many others, some of which we cover in this article. The World Bank's infoDev site catalogs hundreds of information and communications technologies (ICT) projects, albeit not all successful. Most of these projects use existing off-the-shelf technology designed for the industrialized world. Although it is clear that there are large differences in assumptions related to cost, power, and usage, there has been little work on how technology needs in developing regions differ from those of industrialized nations. We argue that Western market forces continue to meet the needs of developing regions accidentally at best.     

Density-based multiscale data condensation

A problem gaining interest in pattern recognition applied to data mining is that of selecting a small representative subset from a very large data set. In this article, a nonparametric data reduction scheme is suggested. It attempts to represent the density underlying the data. The algorithm selects representative points in a multiscale fashion which is novel from existing density-based approaches. The accuracy of representation by the condensed set is measured in terms of the error in density estimates of the original and reduced sets. Experimental studies on several real life data sets show that the multiscale approach is superior to several related condensation methods both in terms of condensation ratio and estimation error. The condensed set obtained was also experimentally shown to be effective for some important data mining tasks like classification, clustering, and rule generation on large data sets. Moreover, it is empirically found that the algorithm is efficient in terms of sample complexity     

Hemodynamic changes in patients developing effective hypovolemia after total paracentesis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In many centers paracentesis is considered the treatment of choice for tense ascites. However, the mechanism of effective hypovolemia after paracentesis, the main complication associated with this procedure, remains unknown. In the current study, systemic hemodynamics was sequentially studied before and after total paracentesis in 46 patients with cirrhosis and tense ascites. The aim of the study was to assess the mechanism of effective hypovolemia after paracentesis. METHODS: Plasma renin activity and aldosterone, mean arterial pressure, cardiac output (ECO-Doppler) and systemic vascular resistance were measured before, and 3 h, 6 h and 6 days after total paracentesis associated with plasma volume expansion. RESULTS: Effective hypovolemia after paracentesis (defined as 50% increase in plasma renin activity up to a level over 4 ng x m(-1) x h(-1) at the 6th day after paracentesis) occurred in 20 cases [plasma renin activity increased from 8+/-17 to 19+/-2.7 ng x m(-1) x h(-1)]. In the remaining 26 cases no changes in plasma renin activity [8.5+/-2.4 vs. 8.7+/-2.2 ng x m(-1) x h(-1)] were observed. The amounts of ascitic fluid volume removed were similar. Effective hypovolemia after paracentesis was associated with a significant decrease in mean arterial pressure (89+/-2 vs. 81+/-3 mmHg) and systemic vascular resistance [1263+/-67 vs. 1014+/-80 dyn x s(-1) x cm(-5)] 6 days after treatment. In contrast, no significant changes in these parameters were observed in patients not developing this complication. In the whole group of patients a significant inverse relation was observed between changes in plasma renin activity and in systemic vascular resistance (r=0.74;p< 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that effective hypovolemia after paracentesis in cirrhosis is predominantly due to an accentuation of the arteriolar vasodilation already present in these patients.