Predicting discharge coefficient of triangular labyrinth weir using Support Vector Regression,Support Vector Regression-firefly,Response Surface Methodology and Principal Component Analysis

Weirs are hydraulic structures which conduct the most powerful flow with large overflow. Discharge flow predication is based on capacity discharge designation by designer. In this paper, the discharge capacity in triangular labyrinth side-weirs is computed by using new techniques with high precision. The four employed techniques for computation of discharge capacity are: Support Vector Regression (SVR), Support Vector Regression–Firefly (SVR- Firefly), Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). A comparison between the computed discharge capacity and empirical results is considered in this paper. Determination coefficient (R²), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), SI and δ are five statistical indicators which help us to measure the precision of the designed models. The statistical indices indicated that the SVR-Firefly model has the highest ability among the models for simulation, with average MAPE=0.49%, R²=0.991 and RMSE=0.0035. Like the results achieved by the SVR-Firefly, comparatively good results were obtained by both PCA and SVR models. The SVR model suggested the average MAPE value near 1.073 in the training mode under the most unfavorable conditions. The MAPE value equal to 1.23 was also obtained in the test mode. This proves that the value of error rate is tolerable.     

Succinimide-N-sulfonic Acid as a Recyclable Brönsted Acid Catalyst for Synthesis of Pyrano[4,3-b]pyran Derivatives by Using Solar Energy Under Solvent-Free Conditions

Succinimide-N-sulfonic acid as an efficient Brönsted acid catalyzed the synthesis of pyrano[4,3-b]pyrans by using solar energy as a green source of energy under solvent-free conditions. This method has the advantages of high yield, short reaction time, and clean and simple methodology. The catalyst could be recycled without significant loss of activity.     

Natural red pigments from plants and their health benefits: A review

Carotenoids (specifically lycopene), anthocyanins, and betacyanins are natural red pigments found in fruits and vegetables. They possess antioxidant properties beneficial in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Recently, natural colouring agents have attracted increasing attention from the food industry as a substitute to the artificial colouring compounds, which have been discovered to cause negative impact to human’s health upon consumption. There is a growing interest in the natural red pigments in food science, due to their preventive effects on chronic diseases. Stability of the natural pigments should be concerned, as it might affect the saturation of the colour.     

Double gene targeting PCR assay for the detection of Crocodylus porosus in commercial products

The demand for crocodile meat is quickly growing because of its exotic and organoleptic appeal and also the low content of cholesterol and lipids. Moreover, crocodile oil and blood have been used in alternative medicines for treating asthma and several other ailments since ancient times. Furthermore, crocodile hides have great demand in leather industries. All of these have collectively contributed to the extensive hunting, illegal trading and consequent decline of crocodiles in most parts of the world. To keep space with the growing demands, some crocodile species such as Crocodylus porosus have been raised in farms and its commercial trades have been legalised. However, demand for wild crocodiles in foods and medicines has continued in high gear. Recently, several DNA-based methods have been proposed for crocodile detection, but those assays are based on single gene and longer-sized amplicon targets that break down during extensive processing. To address this gap, here we developed and validated a highly stable double gene targeted multiplex PCR assay for the identification of C. porosus materials in commercial products. The assay involved two short sites from C. porosus atp6 (77 bp) and cytb (127 bp) genes and a universal internal control (99 bp) for eukaryotes. The PCR primers were cross-tested against 18 species and validated under pure and mixed matrices under extensive boiling, autoclaving and microwave cooking conditions. Finally, it was used to identify five crocodile-based commercial products. The lower limits of detection for atp6 and cytb genes were 0.001 ng and 0.01 ng DNA, respectively, in pure meat and 1% under mixed matrices. Some inherent features, such as 77–127 bp amplicon sizes, exceptional stability and superior sensitivity, suggested the assay could be used for the identification of C. porosus in any forensic specimen.     

Inverse identification of elastic properties of composite materials using hybrid GA-ACO-PSO algorithm

The main emphasis of this paper is placed on the effectiveness of the proposed optimization method in material identification. The primary motivation of integrating GA, ACO and PSO is to minimize each other’s weaknesses and to promote respective strengths. In the proposed algorithm, the effect of random initialization of GA is subdued by passing the products of GA through the ACO and PSO operators to well organize the exploitative and exploratory search coverage. In return, GA improves the convergence rate and alleviates the strong dependency on the pheromone array in ACO as well as resolves the conflict arisen in identifying the trade-off parameter and further refine the exploitative search of PSO with the introduction of two-point standard mutation and one-point refined mutation. The proposed algorithm has been verified and applied in composite material identification with absolute percentage errors between measured and evaluated natural frequencies not more than 2%.     

Sustainable GQDs for potential application in engineering using corn powder as green precursor

Abstract

An alternative way to produce Graphene Quantum Dots (GQDs) economically is proposed in this study where corn powder was used as a green precursor to fabricate GQDs in a hassle less one-step route. These GQDs showed a stable, size-dependent in aqueous solution. The size of GQDs obtained from this work is approximately measure from 0.21 to 5.20?nm. The XRD patterns showed a broad peak at 22?Å. Furthermore, the UV-vis absorption spectrum has a broad peak around the range of 250–350?nm which is ascribed to the typical absorption of n-π* transition of the carbonyl groups. The said sample also exhibited bright green photoluminescence under an UV light. The Raman spectra displayed a D band around 1375?cm^?1 and G band around 1578?cm^?1. The performed analysis confirms that the GQDs by this method has a similar result compared to the other methods. This suggests that corn powder as a precursor can be used to fabricate GQDs in a simplistic and environment-friendly way for potential application in sensors, very large scale integration and energy generation technology.     

Performance comparison of feedforward neural network training algorithms in modeling for synthesis of polycaprolactone via biopolymerization

This paper reports the biopolymerization of ε-caprolactone, using lipase Novozyme 435 catalyst at varied impeller speeds and reactor temperatures. A multilayer feedforward neural network (FFNN) model with 11 different training algorithms is developed for the multivariable nonlinear biopolymerization of polycaprolactone (PCL). In previous works, biopolymerization carried out in scaled-up bioreactors is modeled through FFNN. No review discussed the role of different training algorithms in artificial neural network on the estimation of biopolymerization performance. This paper compares mean absolute error, mean square error, and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) in the PCL biopolymerization process for 11 different training algorithms that belong to six classes, namely (1) additive momentum, (2) self-adaptive learning rate, (3) resilient backpropagation, (4) conjugate gradient backpropagation, (5) quasi-Newton, and (6) Bayesian regulation propagation. This paper aims to identify the most effective training method for biopolymerization. Results show that the quasi-Newton-based and Levenberg–Marquardt algorithms have the best performance with MAPE values of 4.512, 5.31, and 3.21% for the number of average molecular weight, weight average molecular weight, and polydispersity index, respectively.     

Recent developments of strontium titanate for photocatalytic water splitting application

The high efficiency of SrTiO₃ in the reaction of heterogeneous photocatalysis needs a suitable architecture that maximises photon absorption and minimises electron loss during excitation state. In order to further enhance the migration of charge carriers during excitation state, considerable effort has to be exerted to further develop the heterogeneous photocatalysis of this SrTiO₃ under UV, visible, and solar illumination. Currently, unique and interesting features of binary photocatalyst system have gained more attention by researchers and it became a favourite research topic among various groups of scientists around the world. It was noticed that the binary photocatalyst system properties primarily depends on the nature of the surface properties, surface morphologies, as well as the role of optimum dopants amount incorporated into the SrTiO₃. Thus, this article presents a critical review of recent achievements in the photocatalytic activity of the SrTiO₃ for water splitting H₂ generation technology.     

Behaviour of fibre-reinforced cementitious composite containing high-volume fly ash at elevated temperatures

This research describes the properties of acrylic fibre-reinforced cementitious composite containing high-volume fly ash. In this investigation, the fly ash content (30% and 60%) and the acrylic fibre dosage (0%, 1% and 2%) were varied. Increased content of fly ash in the composite was found to be able to partially compensate the reduction in workability caused by the inclusion of fibres. On the other hand, although the use of fibres had minimal influence on the compressive strength, the fibres could significantly enhance the flexural strength of the composite, particularly in the composite containing higher fly ash content. At elevated temperatures, it was found that the inclusion of acrylic fibres was beneficial in the composite with higher fly ash content, as demonstrated by the increased strength retention and reduced spalling damage at elevated temperature.