Bioelectricity production by using goat (Capra hircus) rumen fluid from slaughterhouse waste in mediator-less microbial fuel cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) grasped an outlook for bioelectricity production under global scenario. Many studies have highlighted the utilization of various wastes for electricity generation by this advantageous technology. In the present investigation, an H-type, two-chambered MFC was designed for bioelectricity production using Capra hircus rumen fluid collected from slaughterhouse, paddy straw as substrate, copper as anode, and zinc as cathode. The power output of single MFC was recorded to a maximum of 5.76 W and 8.49 W/m². Effect of acetic acid as catholyte with concentration range (0.0–2.0%) was compared with air cathode. Acetic acid was found to enhance the power output at 2% concentration. Assessment for increased power output was carried out by connecting the four MFCs in series. MFC series performed well with a maximum power output of 67.24 W at 192 h with acetate as catholyte whereas 54.76 W for air cathode. The maximum power density achieved was 42.11 W/m² for acetate in cathode and 34.39 W/m² for air cathode. The MFCs developed with rumen consortia, hay as substrate, and Cu–Zn electrodes were found to be effective in bioelectricity production.     

Performance analysis of EM,SVD, and SVM classifiers in classification of carcinogenic regions of medical images

In this article, the performance analysis of Expectation Maximization (EM), Singular Value Decomposition (SVD), and Support Vector Machines (SVM) classifiers for classification of carcinogenic regions from various medical images is carried out. Cancer detection is one of the critical issues where excessive care needs to be taken for better diagnosis. Any classifier needs to detect the cancer with respect to the efficiency in time of detection and performance. Due to these, three classifiers are selected: Expectation Maximization (EM), Singular Value Decomposition (SVD), and Support Vector Machines (SVM). EM classifier performs as the optimizer and SVD classifier performs as the dual class classifier. SVM classifier is used as both optimizer and classifier for multiclass classification procedure and for wide stage cancer detection procedures. The performance analysis of all the three classifiers are analyzed for a group of 100 cancer patients based on the benchmark parameter such as Performance Measures and Quality Metrics. From the experimental results it is evident, that the SVM classifier significantly outperforms other classifiers in the classification of carcinogenic regions of medical images.     

Enhanced redesigned spatial modulation: Design and performance evaluation under correlated fading channels

Spatial modulation techniques (SMTs) have emerged as promising multiple‐input and multiple‐output (MIMO) technology for fifth generation (5G) networks, which can achieve an appealing trade‐off between conflicting design objectives such as reliability, hardware cost, complexity, spectral efficiency, and energy efficiency. Most of the SMTs suffer from significant performance deterioration under correlated fading channels. In this paper, a novel spectral efficient SMT referred as enhanced redesigned spatial modulation (EReSM) is proposed, which is robust against adverse channel correlation effects. At any time instant, EReSM activates either one or two transmit antennas and employs a robust bits to antenna index mapping that ensures the selection of antenna subsets with maximum spatial separation to mitigate the effect of spatial correlation. EReSM also exploits phase rotation of transmitted symbols as an additional dimension to convey an extra information bit. The rotation angles used for bit mapping are optimized for various modulation schemes to maximize the minimum euclidean distance between the symbols. To analyze the performance, analytical upper bound expression for average bit error probability (ABEP) is derived for both uncorrelated and spatially correlated channel conditions. Monte Carlo simulation results substantiate the accuracy of the analytical results and also demonstrate that the proposed EReSM outperform conventional redesigned spatial modulation (ReSM) by at least 4 dB.     

Development of a sustainable route for the production of high‐fructose syrup from the polyfructan inulin

The authors used mesoporous silica microspheres as a support for the immobilization of inulinase from Aspergillus brasiliensis MTCC 1344 by the process of cross‐linking. Under optimized operating conditions of pH 6.0, particle/enzyme ratio of 2.0:1.0 and glutaraldehyde concentration of 7 mM, a maximum immobilization yield of 90.7% was obtained after a cross‐linking time of 12.25 h. Subsequently, the cross‐linked inulinase was utilized for the hydrolysis of 5% inulin, and a maximum fructose concentration of 31.7 g/L was achieved under the optimum conditions of pH 6.0 and temperature 60°C in 3 h. Furthermore, on performing reusability studies during inulin hydrolysis, it was observed that the immobilized inulinase could be reused up to 10 subsequent cycles of hydrolysis, thus providing a facile and commercially attractive process of high‐fructose syrup production.     

Anthracene Biodegradation by Oleaginous Rhodococcus opacus for Biodiesel Production and Its Characterization

This study examined biodegradation of anthracene, a model low molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) by oleaginous Rhodococcus opacus for biodiesel production. Specific biomass growth rate (µ) in the range of 0.0075–0.0185 h^?1 could be attained over the initial anthracene concentration (50–500 mg L^?1), along with 68–70.6% (w/w) lipid accumulation. 10% (v/v) inoculum size showed more positive effect than 5% (v/v) inoculum size on both anthracene biodegradation efficiency and lipid accumulation by R. opacus. ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of the bacterial lipids revealed 82.25% saturated fatty acids content. Furthermore, the transesterified bacterial lipids predominantly consisted of methyl palmitate (32.4%) and methyl stearate (25.9%) as the major fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). Overall, this study revealed a very good potential of the bacterium for the production of biodiesel from PAH-containing wastewater.     

Discovery of Quinoline-Derived Trifluoromethyl Alcohols as Antiepileptic and Analgesic Agents That Block Sodium Channels

The discovery of novel analgesic agents with high potency, low toxicity and low addictive properties remain a priority. This study aims to identify the analgesic potential of quinoline derived α-trifluoromethylated alcohols (QTA) and their mechanism of action. We synthesized and characterized several compounds of QTAs and screened them for antiepileptic and analgesic activity using zebrafish larvae in high thorough-put behavior analyses system. Toxicity and behavioral screening of 9 compounds (C1–C9) identified four candidates (C2, C3, C7 and C9) with antiepileptic properties that induces specific and reversible reduction in photomotor activity. Importantly, compounds C2 and C3 relieved the thermal pain response in zebrafish larvae indicating analgesic property. Further, using novel in vivo CoroNa green assay, we show that compounds C2 and C3 block sodium channels and reduce inflammatory sodium signals released by peripheral nerve and tissue damage. Thus, we have identified novel QTA compounds with antiepileptic and analgesic properties which could alleviate neuropathic pain.     

Study on the outcome of a cetane improver on the emission characteristics of a diesel engine

ABSTRACT

Dimethyl carbonate (DMC), a cetane improver, is used as a fuel additive to investigate the exhaust emission in diesel engine. Neem oil biodiesel (B100), neem oil biodiesel + dimethyl carbonate (B100+DMC) and diesel were used as test fuels. DMC is added 0.5% by volume to biodiesel. This research work was executed in a four-stroke, single-cylinder diesel engine. Owing to the percentage of DMC in biodiesel, carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions were dropped corresponding to diesel. A considerable amount of nitrogen oxide (NO_x) is decreased when diesel is used, and by the addition of B100+DMC, NO_x were slightly reduced compared to B100.     

Performance study on solar still with enhanced condensation

Water scarcity and pollution pose critical situation in all walks of life especially in the developing countries. Among the available purification technologies, solar desalination process proves to be a suitable solution for resolving this existing crisis. This renewable energy technology operates on a basic principle of which the solar radiation enters through the glass surface inside a closed chamber touching the black surface generating heat energy, which gets trapped inside. This gradually raises the temperature of the liquid resulting in evaporation process and further condensation, which is drained out for use. In this connection, a basin type solar still (0.5 m²) with improved condensation technique was designed and built, and a performance study was carried out with different samples such as tap water, seawater and dairy industry effluent. The condensation occurs due to the temperature difference not only on the glass surface but also on the four sidewalls, which can be cooled by water circulation through tubes attached on the wall surface for efficiency enhancement. The maximum daily production of the solar still was about 1.4 L/m².d, and its efficiency was about 30%. The condensate water quality was analysed and compared with water quality standards, which was found to be comparable with rainwater and mineral water. Efficiency of the still was calculated for all the samples and compared with each other. The reasons for the findings and their implications for the design of the system are discussed. Some design features that would further enhance the thermal performance of the still were also identified from this present investigation and highlighted.     

Development of engineered probiotics with tailored functional properties and their application in food science

Food Science and Biotechnology - The potential health benefits of probiotics may not be cognized because of the substantial curtailment in their viability during food storage and passage through...