Micellar solubilization of naphthalene and phenanthrene from nonaqueous-phase liquids

The equilibrium partitioning of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds naphthalene and phenanthrene, from nonaqueous-phase liquids (NAPLs) into micellar solutions of five different nonionic polyethoxylated surfactants, is evaluated in this study. A series of synthesized NAPLs, comprised of naphthalene and/or phenanthrene dissolved in hexadecane at varying concentrations, were equilibrated with surfactant solutions in well-mixed batch systems. It was observed that the extent of micellar partitioning of PAH compounds increases linearly with their relative abundance in the NAPLs. A theoretical liquid-liquid partitioning framework that describes PAH equilibrium partitioning between the NAPL, aqueous, and the liquid-like micellar phases is presented. Although the maximum solubilization capacity of micelles is generally higher for naphthalene as compared to phenanthrene, results indicate that with certain NAPLs phenanthrene may be solubilized to a similar extent as naphthalene, even when equal mole fractions of the compounds are present in the NAPLs. Selective solubilization of naphthalene over phenanthrene into micellar solutions of Brij 35 was observed in systems where naphthalene and phenanthrene were both present. The extent of micellar partitioning of phenanthrene was decreased by approximately 18% in the presence of naphthalene, while naphthalene partitioning was unaffected by the presence of phenanthrene.     

Characterization of delamination effect on composite laminates using a new generalized layerwise approach

A dynamic analysis method has been developed to investigate and characterize the effect due to presence of discrete single and multiple embedded delaminations on the dynamic response of composite laminated structures with balanced/unbalanced and arbitrary stacking sequences in terms of number, placement, mode shapes and natural frequencies. A new generalized layerwise finite element model is developed to model the presence of multiple finite delamination in laminated composites. The new theory accurately predicts the interlaminar shear stresses while maintaining computational efficiency.     

Intelligent particle swarm optimized fuzzy PID controller for AVR system

In process plants like thermal power plants, biomedical instrumentation the popular use of proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers can be noted. Proper tuning of such controllers is obviously a prime priority as any other alternative situation will require a high degree of industrial expertise. So in order to get the best results of PID controllers the optimal tuning of PID gains is required. This paper, thus, deals with the determination of off-line, nominal, optimal PID gains of a PID controller of an automatic voltage regulator (AVR) for nominal system parameters and step reference voltage input. Craziness based particle swarm optimization (CRPSO) and binary coded genetic algorithm (GA) are the two props used to get the optimal PID gains. CRPSO proves to be more robust than GA in performing optimal transient performance even under various nominal operating conditions. Computational time required by CRPSO is lesser than that of GA. Factors that have influenced the enhancement of global searching ability of PSO are the incorporation of systematic and intelligent velocity, position updating procedure and introduction of craziness. This modified from of PSO is termed as CRPSO. For on-line off-nominal system parameters Sugeno fuzzy logic (SFL) is applied to get on-line terminal voltage response. The work of SFL is to extrapolate intelligently and linearly, the nominal optimal gains in order to determine off-nominal optimal gains. The on-line computational burden of SFL is noticeably low. Consequently, on-line optimized transient response of incremental change in terminal voltage is obtained.     

Interaction characteristics and thermodynamic behaviour of gatifloxacin by aluminium hydroxide

The interaction pattern of gatifloxacin was temperature-dependent Langmuir isotherm, and the Langmuir coefficients increased as the temperature was raised. The perturbation experiment conducted on this system showed that the nature of interaction was irreversible. The enthalpy change is a positive value, indicating the existence of increased activation energy as the temperature is raised. The entropy value, 24.21 e.u. obtained in this system, indicated that the hydration shells of the ions were rather tightly bound. Intestinal permeation study also revealed the decreased bioavailability of gatifloxacin relatively to the presence of aluminium hydroxide. The strong adsorption of gatifloxacin by aluminium hydroxide is due to formation of complexes with cations of aluminium hydroxide through carboxyl and carbonyl groups of gatifloxacin.     

Optimal sizing and design of CMOS analogue amplifier circuits using craziness‐based particle swarm optimization

This paper presents the optimal designs of two analogue complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) amplifier circuits, namely differential amplifier with current mirror load and two‐stage operational amplifier. A modified Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), called Craziness‐based Particle Swarm Optimization (CRPSO) technique is applied to minimize the total MOS area of the designed circuits. CRPSO is a highly modified version of conventional PSO, which adopts a number of random variables and has a better and faster exploration and exploitation capability in the multidimensional search space. Integration of craziness factor in the fundamental velocity term of PSO not only brings diversity in particles but also pledges convergence close to global best solution. The proposed CRPSO‐based circuit optimization technique is reassured to be free from the intrinsic disadvantages of premature convergence and stagnation, unlike Differential Evolution (DE), Harmony Search (HS), Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The simulation results achieved for the two analogue CMOS amplifier circuits establish the efficacy of the proposed CRPSO‐based approach over those of DE, HS, ABC and PSO in terms of convergence haste, design conditions and design goals. The optimally designed analogue CMOS amplifier circuits occupy the least MOS area and show the best performance parameters like gain and power dissipation, in compared with the other reported literature. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene on the mechanical and morphological properties of chemically modified short‐pineapple‐leaf‐fiber‐reinforced polypropylene composites

With the rising cost of petroleum‐based fibers, the utilization of plant fibers in the manufacture of polymer–matrix composites is gaining importance worldwide. The scope of this study was to examine the perspective of the use of pineapple leaf fibers (PALFs) as reinforcements for polypropylene (PP). These fibers are environmentally friendly, low‐cost byproducts of pineapple cultivation and are readily available in the northeastern region of India. Here, both untreated and treated pineapple fibers were used. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MA‐g‐PP) was used as a compatibilizing agent. The polymer matrix of PP was used to prepare composite specimens with different volume fractions (5–20%) of fibers by the addition of 5% of MA‐g‐PP. These specimens were tested for their mechanical properties, and additional assessments were made via observations by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and IR spectroscopy. Increase in the impact behavior, flexural properties, and tensile moduli of the composites were noticed, and these were more appreciable in the treated fibers mixed with MA‐g‐PP. PALF in 10 vol % in PP mixed with MA‐g‐PP was the optimum and recommended composition, where the flexural properties were the maximum. The impact strength and the tensile modulus were also considerably high. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Selective microwave absorption in Nd3+ substituted barium ferrite composites

Microwave(MW) frequency based wireless communications and electronic devices became prospective due to several ramifications.To meet this need,a series of neodymium ions(Nd3+) substituted barium ferrite composites with composition(20)BaO:(80-x)Fe_2 O_3:(x)Nd_2 O_3(0≤x≤3 mol%) was prepared at1100℃using solid-state reaction method.We evaluated the effect of various Nd3+ions contents on the surface morphology,structure,and magnetic properties of the as-synthesized barium ferrite composites.Meanwhile,microwave reflection loss,complex permittivity and permeability were determined using the transmission/reflection line method in the X-band(8—12 GHz).SEM image of the composites shows that the surface morphology consists of rough and porous microstructures.XRD patterns of the un-doped composites reveal the existence of BaFe_(12)O_(19)(hexagonal) and Fe_(21.333)O_(32)(tetragonal) crystalline phases.Furthermore,a new hexagonal crystalline phase of Ba_6 Nd_2 Fe_4 O_(15) with the crystallite sizes between 15 and 67 nm is observed due to Nd3+ions substitution in the composite.The saturation magnetization of the composite containing 2 mol% of Nd3+does not exhibit any significant alteration compared to the one devoid of Nd3+.The complex relative permitivity and permeability of the achieved composites enriched in Ba_6 Nd_2 Fe_4 O_(15) and BaFe_2 O_4 phases disclose significant MW frequency dependence.The composites also display selective MW absorption in the X-band which could be useful for diverse applications.     

Adaptive second-order sliding-mode controller for shank-foot orthosis system

Recently, the actuated orthosis is highly utilised to support the knee-joint movement of rehabilitees. However, uncertain disturbances arising in a nonlinear orthosis system is difficult to control, which in turn reduces the stability of the system. In this paper, an Adaptive Second-order Sliding-Mode Control (ASoSMC) is proposed to control the shank-foot orthosis system. Here, the actual position, velocity, and acceleration of the system are estimated using the final torque to determine the overall movement of the system. Moreover, these actual values are estimated by varying the sliding surface of the sliding-mode control and the positive gain of the system. Further, the performance is compared with conventional methods like Second-order Sliding-Mode Control (SoSMC) and Fuzzy SoSMC in terms of root-mean-square error, sliding surface, and positive gain. The controlling by ASoSMC is found to be precise in defining the position, velocity, and acceleration of the system against conventional methods.     

Aggregation and deposition kinetics of carboxymethyl cellulose-modified zero-valent iron nanoparticles in porous media

Transport and deposition of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-modified nanoparticles of zero-valent iron (NZVI) were investigated in laboratory-scale sand packed columns. Aggregation resulted in a change in the particle size distribution (PSD) with time, and the changes in average particle size were determined by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). The change in PSD over time was influenced by the CMC-NZVI concentration in suspension. A particle-particle attachment efficiency was evaluated by fitting an aggregation model with NTA data and subsequently used to predict changes in PSD over time. Changes in particle sizes over time led to corresponding changes in single-collector contact efficiencies, resulting in altered particle deposition rates over time. A coupled aggregation-colloid transport model was used to demonstrate how changes in PSD can reduce the transport of CMC-NZVI in column experiments. The effects of particle concentrations in the range of 0.07 g L⁻¹ to 0.725 g L⁻¹ on the transport in porous media were evaluated by comparing the elution profiles of CMC-NZVI from packed sand columns. Changes in PSD over time could reasonably account for a gradual increase in effluent concentration between 1 and 5 pore volumes (PVs). Processes such as detachment of deposited particles also likely contributed to the gradual increase in effluent concentrations. The particle-collector attachment efficiency increased with CMC-NZVI particle concentration due to a rise in dissolved Na⁺ concentration with increased addition of Na-CMC. This inadvertent change in ionic strength led to decreased effluent concentrations at higher CMC-NZVI concentrations.     

Velocity relaxed and craziness-based swarm optimized intelligent PID and PSS controlled AVR system

This paper explores a comparative performance study of two new classes of particle swarm optimization techniques, one with velocity update relaxation (VURPSO) and the other based on novel position, velocity updating strategy and craziness (CRPSO). Both VURPSO and CRPSO highly enhance searching ability. Genetic algorithm (GA) is considered for the sake of comparison. Finally, it is revealed that while applying in two power systems applications (PID controlled AVR system, PSS controlled AVR system), VURPSO exhibits better transient performance than CRPSO/GA. For on-line, off-nominal conditions, Takagi Sugeno fuzzy logic is applied to obtain on-line responses for both the system models.