Unraveling the role of dual Ti/Mg metals on the ignition and combustion behavior of HTPB-boron-based fuel

Metal additives play an essential role in explosive and propellant formulations. Boron(B) is widely used in propellant applications owing to its high energetic content. The addition of B to explosives and propellants increases their energy density, making them more efficient and powerful. Nevertheless, B forms oxide layers on its surface during combustion, slowing down the combustion rate and reducing rocket motor efficiency. To overcome this issue, other metal additives such as aluminum(Al), magnesium(Mg),and titanium(Ti) are revealed to be effective in boosting the combustion rate of propellants. These additives may improve the combustion rate and therefore enhance the rocket motor’s performance. The present study focused on preparing and investigating the ignition and combustion behavior of pure hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene(HTPB)-B fuel supplemented with nano-titanium and nanomagnesium. The burn rates of HTPB-B fuel samples were evaluated on the opposed flow burner(OFB)under a gaseous oxygen oxidizer, for which the mass flux ranges from 22 kg/(m^(2)·s) to 86 kg/(m^(2)·s). The addition of Ti and Mg exhibited higher regression rates, which were attributed to the improved oxidation reaction of B due to the synergetic metal combustion effect. The possible combustion/oxidation reaction mechanism of B-Mg and B-Ti by heating the fuel samples at 900℃ and 1100℃ was also examined in a Nabertherm burnout furnace under an oxygen atmosphere. The post-combustion products were collected and further subjected to X-ray diffraction(XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM) analyses to inspect the combustion behavior of B-Ti and B-Mg. It has been observed that the B oxide layer at the interface between B-Ti(B-Mg) is removed at lower temperatures, hence facilitating oxygen transfer from the surroundings to the core B. Additionally, Ti and Mg decreased the ignition delay time of B, which improved its combustion performance.

A Study on the Explainability of Thyroid Cancer Prediction:SHAP Values and Association-Rule Based Feature Integration Framework

In the era of advanced machine learning techniques,the development of accurate predictive models for complex medical conditions,such as thyroid cancer,has shown remarkable progress.Accurate predictivemodels for thyroid cancer enhance early detection,improve resource allocation,and reduce overtreatment.However,the widespread adoption of these models in clinical practice demands predictive performance along with interpretability and transparency.This paper proposes a novel association-rule based feature-integratedmachine learning model which shows better classification and prediction accuracy than present state-of-the-artmodels.Our study also focuses on the application of SHapley Additive exPlanations(SHAP)values as a powerful tool for explaining thyroid cancer prediction models.In the proposed method,the association-rule based feature integration framework identifies frequently occurring attribute combinations in the dataset.The original dataset is used in trainingmachine learning models,and further used in generating SHAP values fromthesemodels.In the next phase,the dataset is integrated with the dominant feature sets identified through association-rule based analysis.This new integrated dataset is used in re-training the machine learning models.The new SHAP values generated from these models help in validating the contributions of feature sets in predicting malignancy.The conventional machine learning models lack interpretability,which can hinder their integration into clinical decision-making systems.In this study,the SHAP values are introduced along with association-rule based feature integration as a comprehensive framework for understanding the contributions of feature sets inmodelling the predictions.The study discusses the importance of reliable predictive models for early diagnosis of thyroid cancer,and a validation framework of explainability.The proposed model shows an accuracy of 93.48%.Performance metrics such as precision,recall,F1-score,and the area under the receiver operating characteristic(AUROC)are also higher than the baseline models.The results of the proposed model help us identify the dominant feature sets that impact thyroid cancer classification and prediction.The features{calcification}and{shape}consistently emerged as the top-ranked features associated with thyroid malignancy,in both association-rule based interestingnessmetric values and SHAPmethods.The paper highlights the potential of the rule-based integrated models with SHAP in bridging the gap between the machine learning predictions and the interpretability of this prediction which is required for real-world medical applications.

Analysis of Commuting Modal Shift in Consideration of Social Interaction of Consciousness for Environment

It is the matter for achievement of the low carbon transport system that the excessive use of private vehicles can be controlled appropriately.Not only improvement of service level of modes except private vehicle,but also consciousness for environmental problem of individual trip maker is important for eco-commuting promotion.On the other hand,consciousness for environment would be changed by influence of other person.Accordingly,it is aimed in the study that the structure of decision-making process for modal shift to the eco-commuting mode in the local city is described considering environmental consciousness and social interaction.For the purpose,the consciousness for the environment problem and the travel behavior of the commuter at the suburban area in the local city are investigated by the questionnaire survey.The covariance structure about the eco-consciousness is analyzed with the database of the questionnaire survey by structural equation modeling.As the result,it can be confirmed with the structural equation model that the individual environmental consciousness is strongly related with the intention of self-sacrifice and is influenced with the local interaction of the individual connections.On the other hand,the intention of modal shift for the commuting mode is analyzed with the database of the questionnaire survey.It can be found out that the environmental consciousness is not statistically significant for commuting mode choice with the present poor level of service of public transport.However,the intention of self-sacrifice for the prevention of the global warming is statistically confirmed as the factor of modal shift with the operation of eco-commuting bus service with the RP/SP integrated estimation method.As the result,the multi-agent simulation system with social interaction model for eco consciousness is developed to measure the effect of the eco-commuting promotion.For the purpose,the carbon dioxide emission is estimated based on traffic demand and road network condition in the traffic environment model.On the other hand,the relation between agents is defined based on the small world network.The proposed multi-agent simulation is applied to measure the effect of the eco-commuting promotion such as improvement of level of service on the public transport or education of eco-consciousness.The effect of the promotion plan can be observed with the proposed multi-agent system.Finally,it can be concluded that the proposed multi-agent simulation with social interaction for eco-consciousness is useful for planning of eco-commuting promotion.

Application of Pomegranate Rind Extract for Improvement of Functional Properties of Various Materials—A Critical Review

Pomegranate rind is abundantly available as a waste material. Pomegranate Rind Extract (PRE) can be applied to cotton fabrics for its natural colours, as a mordanting agent and also for imparting certain functional properties such as fire retardancy and antimicrobial properties. This paper reviews the feasibility of Pomegranate Rind Extract to improve the functional properties of cellulosic fabrics. Studies show that varying concentrations and higher temperatures that were used to apply the extract on the fabric, resulted in enhanced functional properties. At a particular concentration, the treated fabric showed a 15 times lower burning rate in comparison with the control fabric. Also, antimicrobial efficacy has been observed against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Due to the natural colouring material, it can be used as a natural dye on cotton material. The fire retardancy of pomegranate rind extract was tested on jute material under varying alkalinity. Research has indicated that pomegranate rind extract could be used to dye polyamide as well. The rubbing and wash fastness of the finished fabrics is good. The light fastness was fair, and its antibacterial efficiency against tested bacteria was good.

Comparative evaluation of microscopy,OptiMAL® and 18S rRNA gene based multiplex PCR for detection of Plasmodium falciparum & Plasmodium vivax from field isolates of Bikaner,India

Objective:To evaluate microscopy,OptiMAL? and multiplex PCR for the identification of Plasmodium falciparum（P.falciparum） and Plasmodium vivax（P.vivax） from the field isolates of Bikaner,Rajasthan（Northwest India）.Methods:In this study,a multiplex PCR（P.falciparum and P.vivax） was further developed with the incorporation of Plasmodium malariae（P.malariae） specific primer and also a positive control.The performance of microscopy,plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase（pLDH） based malaria rapid diagnostic test OptiMAL? and 18S rRNA gene based multiplex PCR for the diagnosis of P.falciparum and P.vivax was compared.Results:The three species multiplex PCR if.falciparum,P.vivax and P.malariae) with an inbuilt positive control was developed and evaluated.In comparison with multiplex PCR,which showed the sensitivity and specificity of 99.36%（95%CI,98.11%-100.00%） and 100.00%（95%CI,100.00%-100.00%）,the sensitivity and specificity of microscopy was 90.44%（95%CI,88.849-95.04%） and 99.22%（95% CI,97.71%-100.00%）,and OptiMAL? was 93.58%（95%CI,89.75%-97.42%） and 97.69%（95%CI, 95.10%-100.00%）.The efficiencies were 99.65%,95.10%and 95.45%for multiplex PCK.microscopy and OptiMAL?.respectively.Conclusions:Our results raise concerns over the overall sensitivities of microscopy and OptiMAL?,when compared to the multiplex PCR and thus stress the need for new molecular interventions in the accurate detection of the malarial parasites.This further highlights the fact that further developments are needed to improve the performance of rapid diagnostic tests at field level.

Effect of laser surface melting on surface integrity of Al-4.5Cu composites reinforced with SiC and MoS2

Two types of composites were prepared with Al-4.5Cu alloy as a matrix using stir casting method.One was reinforced with 10wt.%of Si C and 2wt.%of MoS2.The other was reinforced with 10wt.%of Si C and 4wt.%of MoS2.Their surfaces were remelted using a CO2 laser beam with an objective to study the influence of laser surface melting(LSM).The topography,microhardness,corrosion resistance and wear resistance of the laser melted surfaces were studied.Overall surface integrity after LSM was compared with as-cast surface.LSM enhanced the microhardness and wear resistance of the surface in each case.Porosity of the laser melted surface was low and corrosion resistance was high.Thus,LSM can be conveniently applied to enhancing the surface integrity of the aluminium composites.However,there is an optimum laser specific energy,around 38 J/m^2 in this study,for obtaining the best surface integrity.

Animal models in the study of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease:A historical perspective

Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease are two of the most prevalent and disabling neurodegenerative diseases globally.Both are proteinopathic conditions and while occasionally inherited,are largely sporadic in nature.Although the advances in our understanding of the two have been significant,they are far from complete and neither diagnosis nor the current practices in treatment and rehabilitation is adequately helpful.Animal models have historically found application as testing beds for novel therapeutics and continue to be valuable aids in pharmacological research.This review chronicles the development of those models in the context of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease,and highlights the shifting paradigms in studying two humanspecific conditions in non-human organisms.

Influence of tool pin profile and rotational speed on the formation of friction stir welding zone in AZ31 magnesium alloy

In this investigation,the effect of friction stir welding(FSW)parameters such as tool pin profiles,rotational speed and welding speed on the mechanical properties of tensile strength,hardness and impact energy of magnesium alloy AZ31 was studied.The experiments were carried out as per Taguchi parametric design concepts and an L9 orthogonal array was used to study the influence of various combinations of process parameters.Statistical optimization technique,ANOVA,was used to determine the optimum levels and to find the significance of each process parameter.The results indicate that rotational speed(RS)and transverse speed(TS)are the most significant factors,followed by tool pin profile(PF),in deciding the mechanical properties of friction stir welded magnesium alloy.In addition,mathematical models were developed to establish relationship between different process variables and mechanical properties.

Influence of soil density on gas permeability and water retention in soils amended with in-house produced biochar

Biochar has been used as an environment-friendly enhancer to improve the hydraulic properties(e.g.suction and water retention)of soil.However,variations in densities alter the properties of the soil ebiochar mix.Such density variations are observed in agriculture(loosely compacted)and engineering(densely compacted)applications.The influence of biochar amendment on gas permeability of soil has been barely investigated,especially for soil with different densities.The major objective of this study is to investigate the water retention capacity,and gas permeability of biochar-amended soil(BAS)with different biochar contents under varying degree of compaction(DOC)conditions.In-house produced novel biochar was mixed with the soil at different amendment rates(i.e.biochar contents of 0%,5%and 10%).All BAS samples were compacted at three DOCs(65%,80%and 95%)in polyvinyl chloride(PVC)tubes.Each soil column was subjected to dryingewetting cycles,during which soil suction,water content,and gas permeability were measured.A simplified theoretical framework for estimating the void ratio of BAS was proposed.The experimental results reveal that the addition of biochar significantly decreased gas permeability kg as compared with that of bare soil(BS).However,the addition of 5%biochar is found to be optimum in decreasing kg with an increase of DOC(i.e.k_(g,65%)>k_(g,80%)>k_(g,95%))at a relatively low suction range(<200 kPa)because both biochar and compaction treatment reduce the connected pores.

Performance evaluation of deep neural networks for forecasting time-series with multiple structural breaks and high volatility

The problem of automatic and accurate forecasting of time-series data has always been an interesting challenge for the machine learning and forecasting community.A majority of the real-world time-series problems have non-stationary characteristics that make the understanding of trend and seasonality difficult.The applicability of the popular deep neural networks(DNNs)as function approximators for non-stationary TSF is studied.The following DNN models are evaluated:Multi-layer Perceptron(MLP),Convolutional Neural Network(CNN),and RNN with Long Short-Term Memory(LSTM-RNN)and RNN with Gated-Recurrent Unit(GRU-RNN).These DNN methods have been evaluated over 10 popular Indian financial stocks data.Further,the performance evaluation of these DNNs has been carried out in multiple independent runs for two settings of forecasting:(1)single-step forecasting,and(2)multi-step forecasting.These DNN methods show convincing performance for single-step forecasting(one-day ahead forecast).For the multi-step forecasting(multiple days ahead forecast),the methods for different forecast periods are evaluated.The performance of these methods demonstrates that long forecast periods have an adverse effect on performance.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of gastroretentive floating drug delivery system of ofloxacin

This study aimed to develop hydrophilicmatrix based controlled release gastroretentive drug delivery system of ofloxacin and conducting its in vitro and in vivo evaluations.Effervescent floating gastroretentive drug delivery system of ofloxacin was prepared utilizing Boxe Behnken statistical design with 3 factors,3 levels and 15 experimental trials.Formulation optimization was done by setting targets on selected responses.In vivo studies were carried out for the optimized formulation with 12 healthy human volunteers and obtained pharmacokinetic parameters were compared with themarketed once daily formulation,“Zanocin OD”.Optimized formulation showed satisfactory controlled in vitro drug release for more than 12 h with excellent buoyancy properties(floating lag time<1 min,floating duration>16 h).Optimized and marketed formulations were found to have similar in vitro release profile(f2¼79.22)and also were found to be bioequivalent.Serum ofloxacin concentration was well maintained above its reported minimum inhibitory concentrations for most of the pathogens for sufficiently longer duration.Cmax and AUC values of optimized formulation were found to be significantly higher than of marketed product despite their bioequivalence.Bettertherapeutic effect can be expected since ofloxacin exhibits concentration dependent killing.Hence,gastroretention can be a promising approach to enhance bioavailability of ofloxacin with narrow absorption window in upper GIT.

Temperature-Dependent Characteristics of GaN Schottky Barrier Diodes with TiN and Ni Anodes

The effect of temperature on the characteristics of gallium nitride (GaN) Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) with TiN and Ni anodes is evaluated. With increasing the temperature from 25 to 175℃, reduction of the turn-on voltage and increase of the leakage current are observed for both GaN SBDs with TiN and Ni anodes. The performance after thermal treatment shows much better stability for SBDs with Ti N anode, while those with Ni anode change due to more interface states. It is found that the leakage currents of the GaN SBDs with TiN anode are in accord with the thermionic emission model whereas those of the GaN SBDs with Ni anode are much higher than the model. The Silvaco TCAD simulation results show that phonon-assisted tunneling caused by interface states may lead to the instability of electrical properties after thermal treatment, which dominates the leakage currents for GaN SBDs with Ni anode. Compared with GaN SBDs with Ni anode, GaN SBDs with TiN anode are beneficial to the application in microwave power rectification fields due to lower turn-on voltage and better thermal stability.

Molecular Characterizations of Two Begomoviruses Infecting Vinca rosea and Raphanus sativus in India

Dear Editor Samples of Vinca rosea and Raphanus sativus leaves showing typical leaf curling were collected from gardens and fields of Bhatinda, Punjab (India). An expected product of～550 bp in size was amplified from total DNA extracts of symptomatic leaf samples with universal

Modeling and Simulation of Human Cornea for the Measurement of Intraocular Pressure (IOP) through Eyelid

This article describes a study based on the use of an instrumented form of applanation and indentation tonometry through eyelid.The methods and devices which are available for the measurement of intraocular pressure(IOP)have their own limitations.These cause discomfort to the patients during IOP measurement.Also these methods,used to measure IOP over cornea,need anesthesia.In the present work,an attempt is made to develop a device for the measurement of IOP through eyelid which eliminates the need of anesthesia and enhance the patient’s comfort and convenience of the clinician.To represent the results of proposed technique,the human eye modeled with cornea,sclera and also with the eyelid,is used.Furthermore,simulation results of stress values for the range of IOP i.e.5-40 mm of Hg are presented and discussed comparatively with eyelid and without eyelid i.e.directly‘on cornea’methods.

Stimulated Raman Scattering in a Weakly Polar Ⅲ-Ⅴ Semiconductor： Effect of dc Magnetic Field and Free Carrier Concentration

Using the hydrodynamic model of semiconductor plasmas, we perform an analytical investigation of stimulated Raman scattering （SITS） of an electromagnetic pump wave in a transversely magnetized weakly polar semicon- ductor arising from electron-density perturbations and molecular vibrations of the medium both produced at the longitudinal optical phonon frequency. Assuming that the origin of SItS lies in the third-order susceptibility of the medium, we investigate the growth rate of Stokes mode. The dependence of stimulated Raman gain on the external dc magnetic field strength and free carrier concentration is reported. The possibility of the occurrence of optical phase conjugation via SItS is also studied. The steady-state Raman gain is found to be greatly enhanced by the presence of the strong external dc magnetic field.

System Identification of Heritage Structures Through AVT and OMA:A Review

In this review article,the past investigations carried out on heritage structures using Ambient Vibration Test(AVT)and Operational Modal Analysis(OMA)for system identification(determination of dynamic properties like frequency,mode shape and damping ratios)and associated applications are summarized.A total of 68 major research studies on heritage structures around the world that are available in literature are surveyed for this purpose.At first,field investigations carried out on heritage structures prior to conducting AVT are explained in detail.Next,specifications of accelerometers,location of accelerometers and optimization of accelerometer networks have been elaborated with respect to the geometry of the heritage structures.In addition to this,ambient vibration loads and data acquisition procedures are also discussed.Further,the state of art of performing OMA techniques for heritage structures is explained briefly.Furthermore,various applications of system identification for heritage structures are documented.Finally,conclusions are made towards errorless system identification of heritage structures through AVT and OMA.

Study of Delay and Loss Behavior of Internet Switch-Markovian Modelling Using Circulant Markov Modulated Poisson Process (CMMPP)

Most of the classical self-similar traffic models are asymptotic in nature. Therefore, it is crucial for an appropriate buffer design of a switch and queuing based performance evaluation. In this paper, we investigate delay and loss behavior of the switch under self-similar fixed length packet traffic by modeling it as CMMPP/D/1 and CMMPP/D/1/K, respectively, where Circulant Markov Modulated Poisson Process (CMMPP) is fitted by equating the variance of CMMPP and that of self-similar traffic. CMMPP model is already the validated one to emulate the self-similar characteristics. We compare the analytical results with the simulation ones.

Analysis and Design of an Obstacle Detection Radar Transceiver for ISM Band

Authors designed an obstacle radar transceiver for ISM band. This work is focused on rectangular microstrip transceiver integrated with innovative metamaterial structure at a height of 3.276 mm from the ground plane. Two rectangular microstrip transceiver is designed for transmitting and receiving purpose. This work is mainly focused on increasing the potential parameters of rectangular microstrip transceiver. RMT along with the proposed innovative metamaterial structure is designed to resonate at 2.259 GHz. Simulation results showed that the impedance bandwidth of the RMT is improved by 575%, return loss is reduced by 391% and efficiency is improved by 28% by incorporating the proposed innovative metamaterial structure. For verifying that the proposed innovative metamaterial structure possesses negative values of Permeability and Permittivity within the operating frequency range, Nicolson-Ross-Weir method (NRW) has been employed. An op-amp and comparator is used to compare the return loss of transmitting and receiving RMT. An indicator is used to indicate difference of return loss and power of transmitting and receiving rectangular microstrip transceiver. For all simulation purpose, computer simulation technology-microwave studio (CST-MWS) software has been used.

Synthesis, spectral, 3D molecular modeling and antibacterial studies of dibutyltin (IV) Schiff base complexes derived from substituted isatin and amino acids

New dibutyltin(IV) complexes of Schiff base derived from 5-chloroindoline-2,3-dione, indoline- 2,3-dione with amino acids (tryptophan, alanine and valine) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, electronic spectra, conductance measurements, and biological activity. The analytical data showed that the Schiff base ligand acts as bidentate towards metal ions via the azomethine nitrogen and carboxylate oxygen by a stoichiometric reaction of M:L (1:2) to form metal complexes. NMR (1H, 13C and 119Sn) spectral data of the ligands and metal complex agree with proposed structures. The conductivity values between 14 - 27 ohm-1cm2mol-1 in DMF imply the presence of non-electrolyte species. 3D molecular modeling and analysis of bond lengths and bond angles have also been conducted for a representative compound, [Bu2Sn(L2)2], to substantiate the proposed structures. Antibacterial results indicate that the metal complexes are more active than the free ligands.

Grand potential formalism of interfacial thermodynamics for critical nucleus

In nucleation theories, the work of formation of a nucleus is often denoted by W = ΔG. This convention misleads that the nucleation should be considered in the isothermal-isobaric system. However, the pressure in the system with a nucleus is no longer uniform due to Laplace’s equation. Instead, the chemical potential is uniform throughout the system for the critical nucleus. Therefore, one can consider the nucleation in the grand ensemble properly. Accordingly, W is found to be the grand potential difference and the interfacial tension is also turned to be an interfacial excess grand potential. This treatment is not entirely new;however, to explicitly treat in the grand potential formalism is for the first time. We have successfully given an overwhelmingly clear description.