The effect of mixed nanoadditive‐blended diesel–water emulsion on the performance,combustion, and emission characteristics of a DI diesel engine

The present paper examines the impact of mixed nanoadditive (Al₂O₃ and ZnO) incorporated diesel–water emulsion on the combustion, performance, and emission of a single‐cylinder diesel engine under varying load conditions. The test fuels consist of constant fuel ratio of 88% diesel, 10% water, and 2% surfactant. Also, different concentrations of mixed nanoadditives—50 ppm, 100 ppm, and 150 ppm—are added to the test fuel. The ultrasonicator bath is employed for agitation or stirring of test fuels. The test results indicate that the mixed nanoadditives in diesel–water emulsion improve combustion characteristics, brake thermal efficiency, and brake‐specific fuel consumption, whereas the maximum improvement is achieved at full load. It is also determined from the test results that the nanoadditive‐blended test fuel showed a noticeable decrement in CO, NO_x, and hydrocarbon emissions as compared with neat diesel. The optimum results are obtained for D88S2W10ZA150 blend. Owing to the higher surface‐to‐volume ratio, enhanced atomization rate, high catalytic behavior, and shortened ignition delay are possible reasons to improve diesel engine working characteristics.     

Cytotoxicity and Cell Cycle Effects of Bare and Poly(vinyl alcohol)‐Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Mouse Fibroblasts

Super‐paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are recognized as powerful biocompatible materials for use in various biomedical applications, such as drug delivery, magnetic‐resonance imaging, cell/protein separation, hyperthermia and transfection. This study investigates the impact of high concentrations of SPIONs on cytotoxicity and cell‐cycle effects. The interactions of surface‐saturated (via interactions with cell medium) bare SPIONs and those coated with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with adhesive mouse fibroblast cells (L929) are investigated using an MTT assay. The two SPION formulations are synthesized using a co‐precipitation method. The bare and coated magnetic nanoparticles with passivated surfaces both result in changes in cell morphology, possibly due to clustering through their magnetostatic effect. At concentrations ranging up to 80 × 10^?3 M , cells exposed to the PVA‐coated nanoparticles demonstrate high cell viability without necrosis and apoptosis. In contrast, significant apoptosis is observed in cells exposed to bare SPIONs at a concentration of 80 × 10^?3 M . Nanoparticle exposure (20–80 × 10^?3 M ) leads to variations in both apoptosis and cell cycle, possibly due to irreversible DNA damage and repair of oxidative DNA lesions, respectively. Additionally, the formation of vacuoles within the cells and granular cells indicates autophagy cell death rather than either apoptosis or necrosis.     

Probabilistic Hierarchical Model Using First Person Vision for Scenario Recognition

Wireless Personal Communications - Smart homes are becoming a growing need to prepare for a comfortable life style for the elderly and make things easy for the caretakers of the future. One...     

Uplink Resource Sharing and Power Management Scheme for an Underlay D2D Communication

Wireless Personal Communications - With the implementation of device-to-device (D2D) communication in primary cellular networks, there will be notable benefits such as increase in cellular...     

Gas barrier and morphology characteristics of linear low-density polyethylene and two different polypropylene films

In this research, linear low-density polyethylene (PE-LLD), cast polypropylene (PPcast), and bioriented coextruded polypropylene (BOPP) were used as polymeric materials. Permeability, diffusivity, and solubility of N₂, O₂, and CO₂ through above polymers were obtained at different temperatures. The structure and thermal–mechanical features of the films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The permeability, diffusivity, solubility, and their temperature dependency were studied by correlations with gas molecule properties. The highest permeation coefficients (>3.8 × 10⁻⁸ cm³ cm⁻¹ s⁻¹ bar⁻¹) are obtained for PPcast at 60 °C. Activation energy for permeation follows the sequence: N₂ > O₂ > CO₂ for PE-LLD and PPcast. On the other hand, the diffusion activation energy follows the order: O₂ > CO₂ > N₂ and N₂ > CO₂ > O₂ for PE-LLD and PPcast, respectively. In the case of BOPP, activation energy follows the sequence: O₂ > CO₂ > N₂; CO₂ > N₂ > O₂; and O₂ > CO₂ > N₂ for permeation, diffusion, and heat of sorption, respectively.     

TEM study of the surface morphology of extracted ZrO2-Al2O3 fibres

The surface morphology and microstructure of a series of melt extracted ZrO₂-Al₂O₃ based fibres (ZA, ZAT and ZAS) have been imaged at the nanometre scale by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using an advanced Pt/C replica technique. Growth characteristics of ZrO₂, Al₂O₃ and other crystalline phases formed upon heating up to 1550 °C are illustrated and described. Several grain morphologies including spherical and polygonal grains, as well as grains with rounded plate-like growth were observed indicating different active growth mechanisms. ZrO₂ particles on the surface of the fibres were almost spherical with some facetting and rounding of corners. These grains were very fine (< 50 nm) in the ZA and ZAS fibres while they were several microns in size in the ZAT fibres. Al₂O₃ grains were generally much larger (up to several microns) and exhibited two distinct growth morphologies of layered and rhombohedral type. Different grain morphologies of the ZA and ZAS fibres have been correlated to the phases identified by X-ray diffraction.     

Cell "vision": complementary factor of protein corona in nanotoxicology

Engineered nanoparticles are increasingly being considered for use as biosensors, imaging agents and drug delivery vehicles. Their versatility in design and applications make them an attractive proposition for new biological and biomedical approaches. Despite the remarkable speed of development in nanoscience, relatively little is known about the interaction of nanoscale objects with living systems. In a biological fluid, proteins associate with nanoparticles, and the amount and the presentation of the proteins on their surface could lead to a different in vivo response than an uncoated particle. Here, in addition to protein adsorption, we are going to introduce concept of cell "vision", which would be recognized as another crucial factor that should be considered for the safe design of any type of nanoparticles that will be used in specific biomedical applications. The impact of exactly the same nanoparticles on various cells is significantly different and could not be assumed for other cells; the possible mechanisms that justify this cellular response relate to the numerous detoxification strategies that any particular cell can utilize in response to nanoparticles. The uptake and defence mechanism could be considerably different according to the cell type. Thus, what the cell "sees", when it is faced with nanoparticles, is most likely dependent on the cell type.     

Induction of cytosolic glutathione S-transferases from Atlantic eel (Anguilla Anguilla) after intraperitoneal treatment with polychlorinated biphenyls

Glutathione S-transferases (GST) are phase II biotransformation enzymes influenced by exposure to foreign compounds and are proposed as biomarkers of environmental pollution. The hepatic and renal cytosolic GST isoenzymes from juvenile Atlantic eels were isolated and partially characterized. In both organs, three different GST isoenzymes were purified using HPLC and the final subcellular purified fraction resulted in enzymatic subunits of approximately 24,500 Da. Total GST activity was significantly higher towards the substrate 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) than the ethacrynic acid (ETHA). Induction of isoenzymes of GST was studied after intraperitoneal treatment with a single dose (25 mg/kg bw) of a polychlorinated biphenyls mixture. In the hepatic cytosol, an inductory effect on the major enzymatic isoform was observed when comparing treated with control eels. This was directly related to statistically significant (P < 0.05) differences in total GST activity toward the CDNB between treated and control groups, with an increase of 33.6% of GST total activity measured in the last subcellular purified samples. In the kidney cytosol, PCB treatment did not affect GST activity. Significant differences were observed when analyzing the effect of PCB treatment on the main GST subunit height (retention time of 27 min). These results indicate that hepatic GST profiles could be considered as a good tool in environmental studies as specific biomarkers of contamination.