Electrochemical treatment of cotton textile-based dyeing effluent

The electrochemical treatment (ECT) of textile wastewater was carried out in a 1.5 dm³ electrolyte batch reactor using iron electrodes. With the four plate configurations, a current density (CD) of 89.2 A/m² and a pH value of 8.5 were found to be optimal, at which maximum reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) and colour achieved were 86% and 79%, respectively. Loss of 0.0666 kg/m³ iron electrode and 18.44 kWh/m³ power consumption was observed during ECT with a maximum COD reduction of 79%. The settling characteristics of electrochemically treated effluents as well as the characteristics of foam and residue were also analysed.     

Comparative analysis of nanofluid‐based Organic Rankine Cycle through thermoeconomic optimization

The present work focused on the comparative analysis of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) operated with nanoparticles. The effect of CuO and Al₂O ₃ nanoparticles synthesized with water and circulated within heat exchangers are examined. Thermal efficiency and levelized energy cost (LEC) of the nanofluid based ORC are evaluated simultaneously in the present work. The optimization problem of ORC is formed and solved using heat transfer search algorithm. Operating parameters of the nanofluid based ORC such as pinch point temperature difference of heat exchangers, evaporation pressure, the mass flow rate of refrigerant, and concentration of nanoparticles are investigated in the optimization study. Further, the effect of turbine ratio, heat source temperature, and mass flow rate of heat source fluid on CuO and Al ₂O ₃ based ORC is explored and discussed. It was observed that a total variation of 35.2% was obtained at the cost of 3.5% variation in LEC between extreme design points. The maximum thermal efficiency of 19.3% and 19.32% can be obtained with CuO and Al ₂O ₃ with 2.616 and 2.62 $/kWh, respectively. Comparative results reveal that CuO based ORC shows dominance in terms of economic performance over Al ₂O ₃ based ORC for any given value of the thermal efficiency.     

Impact of various solid carriers and spray drying on pre/post compression properties of solid SNEDDS loaded with glimepiride: in vitro-ex vivo evaluation and cytotoxicity assessment

Development of self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) of glimepiride is reported with the aim to achieve its oral delivery. Lauroglycol FCC, Tween-80, and ethanol were used as oil, surfactant, and co-surfactant, respectively as independent variables. The optimized composition of SNEDDS formulation (F1) was 10% v/v Lauroglycol FCC, 45% v/v Tween 80, 45% v/v ethanol, and 0.005% w/v glimepiride. Further, the optimized liquid SNEDDS were solidified through spray drying using various hydrophilic and hydrophobic carriers. Among the various carriers, Aerosil 200 was found to provide desirable flow, compression, dissolution, and diffusion. Both, liquid and solid-SNEDDS have shown release of more than 90% within 10?min. Results of permeation studies performed on Caco-2 cell showed that optimized SNEDDS exhibited 1.54 times higher drug permeation amount and 0.57 times lower drug excretion amount than that of market tablets at 4?hours (p?p?>?.05, i.e. 0.74). The formulation was found stable with temperature variation and freeze thaw cycles in terms of droplet size, zeta potential, drug precipitation and phase separation. Crystalline glimepiride was observed in amorphous state in solid SNEDDS when characterized through DSC, PXRD, and FT-IR studies. The study revealed successful formulation of SNEDDS for glimepiride.     

A Two-Way Cooperative D2D Communication Framework for a Heterogeneous Cellular Network

Wireless Personal Communications - This paper analyzes the performance of two-way OFDMA based cooperative device-to-device communication (C-D2D) framework in a heterogeneous cellular network. In...     

Cephalopod-Inspired Stretchable Self-Morphing Skin Via Embedded Printing and Twisted Spiral Artificial Muscles

Cutaneous muscles drive the texture-modulation behavior of cephalopods by protruding several millimeters out of the skin. Inspired by cephalopods, a self-morphing, stretchable smart skin containing embedded-printed electrodes and actuated by Twisted Spiral Artificial Muscles (TSAMs) is proposed. Electrothermally actuated TSAMs are manufactured from inexpensive polymer fibers to mimic the papillae muscles of cephalopods. These spirals can produce strains of nearly 2000% using a voltage of only 0.02 V mm⁻¹. Stretchable and low-resistance liquid metal electrodes are embedded-printed inside the self-morphing skin to facilitate the electrothermal actuation of TSAMs. Theoretical and numerical models are proposed to describe the embedded printing of low-viscosity Newtonian liquid metals as conductive electrodes in a soft elastomeric substrate. Experimental mechanical tests are performed to demonstrate the robustness and electrical stability of the electrodes. Two smart skin prototypes are fabricated to highlight the capabilities of the proposed self-morphing system, including a texture-modulating wearable soft glove and a waterproof skin that emulates the texture-modulation behavior of octopi underwater. The proposed self-morphing stretchable smart skin can find use in a wide range of applications, such as refreshable Braille displays, haptic feedback devices, turbulence tripping, and antifouling devices for underwater vehicles.     

Topology optimization of an offshore jacket structure considering aerodynamic,hydrodynamic and structural forces

The present work focused on the optimization of offshore wind turbine structure which can sustain different environmental conditions and is of the least cost. Size and topology optimization is carried out for the jacket structure from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) [used in the Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continuation (OC4) project] by using teaching learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm and genetic algorithm (GA). The optimization process is carried out in Matlab along with the time-dependent dynamic wind turbine simulation with the aerodynamic, hydrodynamic and structural forces in the fatigue, aerodynamics, structures, and turbulence code (FAST) from NREL. This is an innovative process which can be used to substitute the time-consuming construction of a wind turbine for its analysis. In this work, both static and dynamic analyses are carried out for simultaneous size and topology optimization. The forces applied to the structure are realistic in nature and fatigue analysis is carried out to ensure that the structure does not fail during its design life. This ensures that the simulation is more accurate and realistic as compared with other analysis. The results showed that the TLBO algorithm is effective compared to GA in terms of size and topology optimization. Further, the other state-of-the art algorithms from the Congress on Evolutionary Computation (CEC) such as differential evolution, LSHADE, multi-operator EA-II, effective butterfly optimizer, and unified differential evolution are also implemented and the comparative results of all the algorithms are presented.

     

Quinoline-Dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one Hybrids: Synthesis,Biological Activity,and Mechanistic Studies

A novel class of quinoline-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one (DHPM) hybrids was synthesized and in vitro antiplasmodial activity was evaluated against chloroquine sensitive (D10) and chloroquine resistant (Dd2) strains of Plasmodium falciparum, the human malaria parasite. The antiplasmodial activity was compared to previously reported DHPM based molecular hybrids. Dual mode of antiplasmodial action of the most active member has been evaluated through heme binding study and in silico docking in the active site of dihydrofolate enzymes (wild-type as well as mutant). Favourable pharmacokinetic parameters were predicted in the ADMET evaluation. The new hybrids were also tested against a number of DNA and RNA viruses. No antiviral activity was found, except for one hybrid that showed mild inhibitory activity against two strains of cytomegalovirus (AD-169 and Davis), The most active hybrid was found to be a selective inhibitor of the growth of P. falciparum as well as a modest inhibitor of varicella zoster virus in HEL cells. Cytotoxicity of all hybrids was assessed in HEL, HeLa, Vero, MDCK, and CRFK cell cultures.     

Structural features of compounds with tetrahedral structures or tetrahedral anion partial structures derived from two valence electron concentration rules

The total and the partial valence electron concentrations(VEC), two variables which can be easily calculated from the composition of the compound and the valence electron numbers of the participating atoms, serve as useful parameters to predict probable structural features of compounds with a tetrahedral structure or a tetrahedral anion partial structure such as an anionic tetrahedron complex. The structural features to be predicted are the average number of nonbonding orbitals, the number of atoms in molecular structures, the average number of anion-anion bonds per anion or the average number of electrons which remain with the cation to be used either for cation-cation bonds or nonbonding orbitals.     

Three-dimensional human head modelling: a systematic review

ABSTRACT

Human head is one of the most important parts of the body, as it houses brain and other sensory organs, which controls functioning and working of the whole body. The products used for head and face are designed for functions like protection, information transfer, healthcare or to improve the aesthetic appearance. In order for them to serve their purpose, they need a close fit and in order to make it more ergonomic, user's comfort also needs to be addressed, thereby making it necessary to acquire accurate anthropometric data for ergonomic product design. Traditional techniques involve manual measurement using tapes, callipers and scales which normally have low reliability and low accuracy. With the advancement in image processing and computer aided designing and modelling techniques it has become possible to develop highly accurate and reliable 3D head and face model. Following paper presents a systematic review of different approaches that have been proposed for developing 3D head and face model and also the techniques used in processing and analysis of 3D data and their limitations. The paper also presents application of head and face models for ergonomic product design.