Modelling of energy usage for the refining of ethanol from corn

A mathematical model is developed and presented for calculating the energy usage and costs for the dry milling corn-ethanol production process. The model is formulated into a spreadsheet to facilitate the study of the process. While considering the whole process, the model focuses on the primary energy-consuming cooking and distillation processes. This model is a feed-backwards model, which means process input requirements are calculated based on user-entered values for total annual plant production and various process parameters. Based on these input requirements, the total energy usage and the cost and amount of fuel used during the process are calculated. The accuracy of the model was verified through comparisons between modelling results and published data. This model can be used as a source for investigating other potential energy sources, such as the incorporation of solar energy and wind energy, for use in the ethanol production process.     

Buccal Bioadhesive Delivery System of 5-Fluorouracil: Optimization and Characterization

The objective of this work was to apply the response surface approach in the development of buccal bioadhesive tablets of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Experiments were performed according to a 3² factorial design to evaluate the effects of two polymers, Gantrez MS-955 (X₁) and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) K15M (X₂) on the bioadhesive force, percentage drug release in 8 h (Rel_{8 h}), time taken for 50% drug release (t_50%), and diffusion coefficient (n). The effect of the two independent variables on the response variables was studied by response surface plots and contour plots generated by the Design Expert® software. The compatibility between 5-FU and the tablet excipients was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies. Both the polymers were found to have synergistic effect on bioadhesion but the effect of Gantrez was more pronounced. A nonlinear twisted relationship was obtained for Rel_{8 h} at the intermediate and high levels of the polymers, which indicated an interaction between them at the corresponding factor levels. Kinetic treatment to the dissolution profiles revealed that the drug release ranged from Fickian to anomalous transport, which was mainly dependent on both the independent variables. The desirability function was used to optimize the response variables, and the observed responses were in agreement with the experimental values.     

Assessing manufacturing strategy definitions utilising text-mining

The variations in Manufacturing Strategy (MS) definitions create confusion and lead to lack of shared understanding between academic researchers and practitioners on its scope. The purpose of this study is to provide an empirical analysis of the paradox in the difference between academic and industry definitions of MS. Natural Language Processing (NLP) based text mining is used to extract primary elements from the various academic, and industry definitions of MS. Co-word and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) provide empirical support for the grouping into nine primary elements. We posit from the terms evolution analysis that there is a stasis currently faced in academic literature towards MS definition while the industry with its emphasis on ‘context’ has been dynamic. We believe that the proposed approach and results of the present empirical analysis can contribute to overcoming the current challenges to MS design and deployment – imprecise definition leading to its inadequate operationalisation.     

The improved electromechanical sensitivity of polymer thin films containing carbon clusters produced in situ by irradiation with metal ions

Greatly enhanced electromechanical sensitivities were observed in ion beam irradiated polyimide films, where high resolution transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy studies showed that 5.5 MeV Cu³⁺ ions produce randomly dispersed and highly oriented conducting nanochannels containing carbon clusters in polyimide with considerable overlap and narrow tunnel gap distributions between neighbouring nanochannels. Selected area electron diffraction studies confirmed the graphitic structure of these carbon clusters and also showed that the graphitic layers had preferential orientation parallel to the ion beam direction arising from relaxation of the graphitic layers within the nanochannels relieving local surface stresses in the polyimide matrix generated during irradiation as well as alignment of graphitic basal layers by volatile gases formed during irradiation escaping to the surface minimising resistance to gas flow. Electron energy loss spectroscopy also confirmed the graphitic structure of these carbon clusters within the nanochannels. Film electrical resistance increased exponentially with applied strain demonstrating the dominant role of tunnel gap modulation under strain. Gauge factors >1000 were achieved in these films at >3000 μstrains. Narrow distribution of tunnel gaps between the overlapping nanochannels is responsible for the high electromechanical sensitivities observed in these films compared to carbon nanotube–polymer (～50) films.     

A survey on antibiotic usage in dairy herds in Pennsylvania

A survey was conducted (July 2001 to June 2002) on antibiotic usage of 113 dairy herds from 13 counties in Pennsylvania. Fifty percent of dairy farms surveyed maintained antibiotic treatment records. Only 21% of dairy producers had written plans for treating sick animals. Thirty-two percent of dairy producers sought veterinarian advice before administering antibiotics and on most farms (93%), antibiotics were administered by the owner/manager or designated herdsman. Twenty-four percent of the dairy producers said they always completed the course of antibiotic treatment. Any extra-label use of antibiotics was administered only on the guidelines of a veterinarian on majority of the farms. Comprehensive records from 33 dairy farms indicated that antibiotic usage was largest for calves with enteritis (36%) followed by pneumonia in calves (25%) and foot rot in cattle (16%). Twenty-four antibiotics including beta-lactams, spectinomycin, florfenicol, and tetra-cyclines were used on these farms. Beta-lactam antibiotics were used mostly for dry cow therapy, clinical mastitis, and on some farms for pneumonia and metritis. On 18% of the dairy herds surveyed, ceftiofur was used in an extra-label manner to treat mastitis in lactating cattle. On 70% of farms, calves were fed medicated milk replacers containing oxytetracycline and neomycin. The results of this study suggest that antibiotics are used extensively on dairy herds for both therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. Beta-lactams and tetracyclines were the most widely used antibiotics. There is considerable variation in the management practices associated with antibiotic use on dairy farms. It is anticipated that the findings of this survey will permit developing new strategies for prudent use of antibiotics on dairy herds.     

Bulk magnetic studies on Cu–Mg–Zn ferrites

The ferrite compositions of Cu(0.5-x)MgxZn0.5Fe2O4 were synthesized by thermal decomposition of the solid solution of oxalate complexes obtained by the coprecipitation technique using oxalate precursors. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of all the samples showed a single spinel phase with no detectable impurity phases. The magnetization values were measured by the superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) technique and the observed variation in magnetization values is attributed to porosity present in these ferrite compositions. The saturation magnetization (Ms) versus temperature curves revealed the curve to be of type Q. The variation of saturation magnetization (Ms) with temperature (T) for composition x=0.25 and x=0.40 exhibited a type Q-curve at a higher field of 1000 G. The monotonic increase in Hc with grain diameter for ferrite compositions under investigation leads to HcD-1. Saturation magnetization (Ms) values of end ferrites sintered at 1000 °C are higher than those of oxalate complexes decomposed at 600 °C. © 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers     

Electrical properties of Si4+ substituted copper ferrite

The electrical resistivity, , and Seebeck coefficient, , for the system Cu_1+xSi_xFe_2–2xO₄ (where x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 and 0.3) have been studied as a function of temperature. Temperature variation of the resistivity exhibits two breaks. Each break is associated with a change in activation energy. The conduction process at low temperature is governed by the reaction Cu _A ¹⁺ + Cu _A ²⁺ Cu _A ²⁺ + Cu _A ¹⁺ . However, at higher temperature, it is due to intersite cation exchange and reoxidation such as Cu _A ²⁺ + Fe _B ³⁺ Cu _B ²⁺ + Fe _A ³⁺ . Measurement of the Seebeck coefficient, , from room temperature to 800 K reveals n-type conduction for the sample with x= 0.05, while the measurements for other samples show p-type conduction for lower temperatures and n-type conduction at higher temperatures. The activation energies in the paramagnetic region are found to be less than those in the ferrimagnetic region.     

Query similarity index based query preprocessing mechanism for multiapplication sharing wireless sensor networks

In multiapplication sharing wireless sensor networks, various application queries exhibit similarity in their spatial, temporal, and sensing attribute requirements, thus result in redundant sensing tasks. The dissemination and execution of such redundant sensing tasks cause network traffic overhead and quick energy drop of the sensor nodes. Existing task scheduling and allocation mechanisms focus on reducing upstream traffic by maximizing data sharing among sensing tasks. However, downstream traffic due to sensing tasks dissemination plays a crucial role in large-scale WSNs and required to be addressed. This paper proposes a query similarity index based query preprocessing mechanism that prevents the generation of redundant sensing tasks by creating a common query corresponding to the overlapping functional requirements of the queries and reduces the downstream as well as upstream traffic significantly. The performance evaluation reveals approximately 60% reduction in downstream traffic, 20–40% reduction in upstream traffic, and 40% reduction in energy consumption when compared with state-of-the-art mechanisms.

     

The Antitumor Efficacy of CpG Oligonucleotides is Improved by Encapsulation in Plant Virus‐Like Particles

Oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) with CpG motifs have potent immunostimulatory effects on many subsets of immune cells. For example, Class B CpG‐ODNs, such as ODN1826 induce the phagocytic activity of macrophages by activating the Toll‐like receptor 9 signaling pathway. Systemic ODN delivery results in unfavorable pharmacokinetic profiles and can trigger adverse effects. To address this issue, plant virus‐like particles (VLPs) are developed for the targeted delivery of ODN1826 to tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs). ODN1826 is encapsulated by the in vitro disassembly and reassembly of Cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV), producing VLPs that are structurally analogous to the native virus. The encapsulation of ODN1826 in CCMV‐derived VLPs promotes ODN uptake by TAMs ex vivo and significantly enhance their phagocytic activity. The antitumor activity of the VLPs in vivo is also evaluated, revealing that the direct injection of ODN1826 VLPs into established tumors induces a robust antitumor response by increasing the phagocytic activity of TAMs in the tumor microenvironment. CCMV encapsulation significantly enhances the efficacy of ODN1826 compared to the free drug, slowing tumor growth and prolonging survival in mouse models of colon cancer and melanoma.     

Electrochemical oxidation of isobutanol to isobutyric acid in a flow cell

A systematic study of oxidation of isobutanol to isobutyric acid over a nickel oxide anode was carried out in a flow cell with well defined geometry. Various procedures for the activation of the anode were studied regarding their effect on the current efficiency and anode life. An attempt was made to optimize the other relevant operating parameters.