Raga India: Architecture in the Time of Euphoria

As India celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence, guest-editor Kazi K Ashraf introduces this special title of AD by holding up a barometer to the nation's cultural identity. Can architecture be best understood through a local sense of place or globalisation? What are the driving impulses behind India's chaotic urban landscape that is simultaneously ‘messy’ and utopian? Can Indian culture be best understood as a national entity or through a more elusive subcontinental substance? Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Physico-chemical properties of lignin–alginate based films in the presence of different plasticizers

A lignin–alginate blended film was prepared in the presence of three different plasticizers, viz. glycerol, epichlorohydrin (EPC) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and the effect of each plasticizer was studied on physico-chemical properties of the blended film. Lignin extracted from Acacia wood by alkali extraction process was blended with alginate to obtain lignin–alginate film in the presence of different plasticizers. A film plasticized with glycerol displayed higher solubility and swelling percentage as compared to EPC and PEG plasticized films. The highest tensile strength was observed for film plasticized with PEG, and none of the plasticizers made any significant change on the bursting strength of the film. Incorporation of lignin considerably improved the light barrier properties of the films. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy study of films suggested the existence of hydrogen bonding between lignin–alginate in the presence of plasticizers. In addition, EPC plasticized film displayed highest thermal stability, as confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis. Further studies demonstrated that plasticizers significantly affected the physico-chemical properties of the blended films. In conclusion, lignin–alginate film plasticized with EPC presented better physico-mechanical and light barrier properties which could be used in packaging and coating applications.     

Olive oil authentication: A comparative analysis of regulatory frameworks with especial emphasis on quality and authenticity indices,and recent analytical techniques developed for their assessment. A review

Over the last decades, olive oil quality and authenticity control has become an issue of great importance to consumers, suppliers, retailers, and regulators in both traditional and emerging olive oil producing countries, mainly due to the increasing worldwide popularity and the trade globalization of this product. Thus, in order to ensure olive oil authentication, various national and international laws and regulations have been adopted, although some of them are actually causing an enormous debate about the risk that they can represent for the harmonization of international olive oil trade standards. Within this context, this review was designed to provide a critical overview and comparative analysis of selected regulatory frameworks for olive oil authentication, with special emphasis on the quality and purity criteria considered by these regulation systems, their thresholds and the analytical methods employed for monitoring them. To complete the general overview, recent analytical advances to overcome drawbacks and limitations of the official methods to evaluate olive oil quality and to determine possible adulterations were reviewed. Furthermore, the latest trends on analytical approaches to assess the olive oil geographical and varietal origin traceability were also examined.     

Smart CardioWatch System for Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases Who Live Alone

The widespread use of smartwatches has increased their specific and complementary activities in the health sector for patient’s prognosis. In this study, we propose a framework referred to as smart forecasting CardioWatch (SCW) to measure the heart-rate variation (HRV) for patients with myocardial infarction (MI) who live alone or are outside their homes. In this study, HRV is used as a vital alarming sign for patients with MI. The performance of the proposed framework is measured using machine learning and deep learning techniques, namely, support vector machine, logistic regression, and decision-tree classification techniques. The results indicated that the analysis of heart rate can help health services that are located remotely from the patient to render timely emergency health care. Further, taking more cardiac parameters into account can lead to more accurate results. On the basis of our findings, we recommend the development of health-related software to aid researchers to develop frameworks, such as SCW, for effective provision of emergency health.     

Synthesis of In2O3/GNPs nanocomposites with integrated approaches to tune overall performance of electrochemical devices

The electroactive material with a porous structure, good electrical conductivity, hybrid composition, and a higher surface is considered more suitable for applications as an electrode in the energy storage device. Herein, we report the preparation of In₂O₃ nanoparticles via a simple chemical route and their nanocomposites with 10% (IOG-10), 30% (IOG-30), 50% (IOG-50), 70% (IOG-70), and 100% G-100 graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) via ultra-sonication. The presence of GNPs in the nanocomposite samples was verified by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Raman, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results. The prepared samples were loaded onto the porous 3D nickel foam (NF) substrate to manufacture the working electrode for electrochemical testing. The cyclic voltammetry (CV), as well as galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD), results proposed the IOG-30@NF as a suitable electrode for electrochemical applications. More precisely, the IOG-30@NF electrode shows a specific capacitance of 1768 Fg^-1 at 1 Ag^-1, which is considerably higher than that of either G-100@NF or In₂O₃@NF electrodes. Besides, the IOG-30@NF electrode shows good cyclic stability of 92.2% after 4000 GCD tests completed at 12 Ag^-1. When increasing the current density value from 1 to 4, the IOG-30@NF electrode maintains a specific capability of 81%, ensuring its exceptional rate capability. The higher specific capacity, higher rate-performance, and better cyclic activity of the IOG-30@NF electrode can be ascribed to its hybrid-composition, nanoarchitecture In₂O₃, 3D but porous nickel foam substrate, appropriate graphene content, and interaction between In₂O₃ nanoparticles and GNPs nanosheets.     

Fabrication of binary metal doped CuO nanocatalyst and their application for the industrial effluents treatment

Herein, we fabricated the binary transition metal (Ce & Zn) doped CuO nanocatalyst via a single step facile co-precipitation technique by using liquid ammonia as a pH regulator and precipitating agent. The structural, morphological, and compositional studies of the fabricated samples were completed via X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and EDX techniques, respectively. The impact of binary metal-doped CuO nanocatalyst on the optical band-gap was examined via the UV-Visible spectroscopic technique. The photocatalytic aptitude of the fabricated pristine and binary metal-doped CuO nanocatalyst was examined against the 5-ppm aqueous solution of MB dye. The obtained results revealed that the doped sample removes 81.64% MB dye, via adsorption (32.65%) and degradation (48.99%) processes, while in comparison the pristine CuO sample removes just 38.77%. The superior adsorption and degradation aptitude of the binary metal-doped sample can be ascribed to its higher surface area and tuned band-gap, respectively. Moreover, the kinetic study of the degradation process also displayed that the doped sample degrades the MB dye with a higher value of the rate constant (0.0137 min^?1) than that of pristine CuO photocatalyst (0.0049 min^?1). The tuned band-gap and nanoarchitecture morphology of the doped CuO not only facilitate the excitation process but also assist in the transportation of the photo-induced species towards the surface of the photocatalyst. The observed superior photocatalytic activity of the binary metal-doped CuO photocatalyst showed its exceptional aptitude for the treatment of toxic industrial effluents.     

An innovative,high-efficiency silver/silica nanocomposites for direct absorption concentrating solar thermal power

Using of nanofluids in the concentrating direct absorption solar collectors has the potential of reducing thermal losses because of the excessive temperature of the absorbing surface in the conventional solar collectors. However, increasing the concentration ratio of solar radiation must be followed by increasing the volume fraction of the nanoparticles, which, in turn, has the drawbacks of increasing the settlement and agglomeration rates of the nanoparticles. In this study, we have suggested using the plasmonic nanofluids for volumetric absorption in the concentrated solar power applications because of the less volume fraction of the plasmonic nanoparticles that are required to harvest the concentrated solar radiation. The interaction of concentrated solar radiation with different morphologies of silver nanoparticles coated by silica shell has been computationally studied. Then, the finite element method has been implemented to determine the photo-thermal conversion efficiency for silver nanosphere and nanoplates with a silica shell. Silver nanoparticles coated by silica exhibit a promising potential because of their distinct characteristics. The silica shell is transparent to the visible and near-infrared radiation bands; it also consolidates the intensity of the localized plasmon resonance and so the absorption characteristics, besides its protective role. A high-efficiency low concentration nanofluid has been designed using blended morphologies of Ag nanospheres and nanoprisms with silica-coating–based nanofluid for full-spectrum absorption characteristics. The suggested nanofluid exhibits a promising performance at a volume fraction of 0.0075 wt% where the volumetric solar collector efficiency exceeds 75% under the solar concentration ratio of 50.     

Development of imitated meat product by utilizing pea and lentil protein isolates

Imitated meat product (nuggets) has been a major influence on vegans since time immemorial. Pea protein isolates (PPIs) and lentil protein isolates (LPIs) are identified as ingredients for their indigenous color, flavor, taste, texture, and functional properties. This study was aimed to investigate the potential use of pea and lentil PI as a meat substitute in nugget preparation to replace meat usage. Chemical characteristics of pea and lentil powder and functional properties of PPI and LPI were determined. Furthermore, the nutritional profile, textural property, and sensory attributes of imitated meat products (nuggets) were compared with chicken-based nuggets. Results showed that functional properties of PPI and LPI were almost similar to each other, and NG₂ (40%PPI: 60%LPI) was selected as the most acceptable nugget with desired nutritional, textural, and sensory attributes. PPI and LPI can be successfully used nutritionally and functionally as valuable substitutes for meat-based nuggets, even in NG₂ (40%PPI: 60%LPI), without significant deterioration of overall acceptability of nuggets. PPI- and LPI-based nuggets could be introduced to the market as a potential marketable non-meat product with indigenous color, flavor, taste, texture, and overall acceptability.