Spirulina Platensis (SP) reinforced semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (S-IPN) were developed using unsaturated polyester (USP) and polyurethane (PU). The concentrations of SP were varied in the polymer matrix. Characterization of the polymer matrix has been carried out using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)

The security risk assessment is a daunting process that usually requires an in-depth knowledge of the pertinent attack scenarios and the technical understanding of all the security measures implemented in the organization. Small and medium-sized businesses are especially challenged as they can often not operate a full information security department. Sometimes the shortage of security skills and security

Designing of a suitable ‘cell-material’ construct has enabled the regeneration of bone. It was in accordance with the increasing demand for the repair of defective and/or diseased bone tissue. In this research, the relative behavior of the osteoblast-seeded materials was demonstrated. It enabled the selection of the cell-material system for rabbit bone bioengineering studies. Significant role of p

The questionable generation of solar power, wind sources and load demand makes AC microgrids increasingly complicated and presents the frequency oscillations. It is profoundly expected to build up power balance among generation and load demand by planning a suitable controller for frequency oscillations. Thus, in this research article, a novel approach is proposed by considering a modified equilibrium

Controlled blasting technology is an effective way to enhance coalbed methane recovery, but the theoretical research has fallen behind engineering practice seriously. Therefore, in this work, based on the damage and fracture mechanics theory, the coal damage process and mechanism under the multiple actions of the blasting stress wave (BSW) were analyzed firstly. Then, the simulation experiment of coal

Developing a non-platinum (Pt) counter electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) gained widespread consideration in scientific research. The counter electrode substitutes for Pt should exhibit enhanced conductivity and electrocatalytic nature. In the current work, tungsten trioxide (WO3) has been employed as CE in DSSC considering its wide bandgap and n-type property to replace the expensive

In the current manufacturing methods, improvement in process performance will be resulting in huge benefits to the industries. For the improvement in part or product quality, the machining process must be operating with the optimal parameters, and thus, quality attributes can be produced. It applies to one of the modern machining techniques such as abrasive water jet (AWJ) as the use of this technique

In this article, a theoretical simulation of a modified tubular solar still (TSS) integrated with a rectangular basin painted black color was investigated. The simulation was conducted out using a 2-dimensional computational fluid dynamics by COMSOL metaphysics software. The two different types of phase change materials- PCMs have been used as a heat storage medium; paraffin wax and stearic acid. Influence

The Schiff base ligand (L), 3,4,5-Trimethoxy-N-((3-hydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpyridin-4-yl)methylene)benzohydrazide (PLTMBH) was prepared by condensation of pyridoxal and 3,4,5-Trimethoxybenzohydrazide. The metal complexes of the ligand with Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions (M) were synthesized. The complexes were characterized by various spectroscopic IR, 1H-NMR, UV, LC–MS and ESR studies and

A novel mathematical approach has been proposed for input–output range extension of Pseudo-Taylor-Exponential-Approximation (PTEA) for achieving over seven-decade exponential function, while reducing the linearity error by 1 dB and attaining simple coefficients such as to realize this technique in designing the MOSFET based circuit. This new MPTEA technique, has been successfully utilized for its current-mode

Understanding of the flow field and heat transfer in a boiler is important to meet with the often-conflicting objectives of efficient steam generation, safe operation and minimization of pollutant emissions. Steam generation requires high gas temperatures, which often lead to high NOx emissions. High gas temperatures inside the boiler may also lead to slagging and fouling problems, which adversely

As a kind of low strength aggregate, the mechanical properties of sandstone can hardly meet the requirements of current specifications for highway concrete materials. In this study, oblique prestressing technology is used to overcome the shortcomings of the mechanical properties of sandstone and the construction process. Sandstone concrete is used in the road base, and a finite element model of sandstone

A hybrid optimization method for the production of work order group furnaces was proposed in this paper. First, a working order group furnace model was constructed including performance index, the constraint condition and the decision variable to fit the problems in working order group furnaces. The hybrid optimization method consists of an optimal priority and a variable neighborhood search algorithm

There are plenty of literature research studies investigating two-phase heat transfer characteristics of propane under varying operational conditions. Based on the collected data retrieved from the experimental measurements, several flow boiling heat transfer correlations have been proposed up to now. However, the prediction accuracy of the proposed correlations for propane refrigerant is still in

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) has been the preferred technology in 3D printing due to its ability to build functional complex geometry parts. The lack of the printing parameter information and prediction model that directly reflects towards 3D printed part's mechanical properties has been a barrier for the FDM 3D printer users to appraise the product's strength as a whole. In the present work, 27

In structural engineering practice, it is widely accepted that beam-to-column joints in reinforced concrete frames can be idealized as rigid regions. However, recent studies demonstrated that severe damage can be observed in these regions and neglecting inelastic deformations can lead to misinterpretations in performance-based seismic design and assessment process. Despite the large experimental and

Recently, surveillance cameras are deployed in many public places to monitor human activities. Detecting violence in videos through automatic analysis means significant for law enforcement. But almost many monitoring systems require to manually identify violent scenes in the video which leads to slow response. However, violence detection is a challenging problem because of the broad definition of violence

The purpose of this paper is to solve the shortcomings of traditional big data mining and analysis (BDMA); this paper compares and analyzes the denoise effect of wavelet transform and wavelet packet analysis and chooses to use wavelet packet analysis method to denoise the signal and extract fault feature vector. Finally, the extracted feature vectors are divided into two libraries, including training

In this study, a new measurement system was developed to determine failures and to define the level of failure that may occur in bearings and rotor bearings or in foot of motor in single phase capacitor start motor. In the system, the vibratory operation of the motor is provided by connecting different screws on the motor’s rotor mounted flywheel or by gradually removing the nut bolts of motor foot

Skin cancer is one of the most deadly diseases around the world, wherein one of the three cancers is skin cancer. Early detection of skin cancer is paramount for better treatment planning. This paper investigates a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), specifically, You Only Look Once (YOLO), to extract features from the skin lesions. The features, obtained from the CNN, are concatenated with traditional

Shock wave pressure, high temperature flames, and toxic gases are among the factors that cause mine ventilation system failure following a gas explosion. Herein, we propose a Support Vector Regression (SVR)-based machine learning model to quickly determine the propagation of these disaster-causing hazards throughout the whole ventilation network. FLACS was used to simulate the explosions in a straight

Since the beginning of time, the Moroccan people have used many medicinal plants as a popular medicine to cure many human and livestock health problems. Yet, few studies have been carried in the past to properly document and promote traditional ethnomedicinal knowledge. This study was conducted out from July 1st, 2016 to July 30th, 2018 in the Rif; it was aimed to establish the list of medicinal plants

Traditional uses of plants are one of the important starting points in search of newer and more effective bioactive drug. Rosa brunonii (plant’s family; Rosaceae) is an ethnomedicinal shrub found in lesser Himalaya region. In traditional medicines, it is used as “blood purifier, to stimulate wound healing, to treat infectious diseases”. So, by considering the medicinal potential of Rosa brunonii, the

Software-defined network provides a greater solution to many of the complex network management functionalities in a data center network (DCN). In a software-defined data center network, it is essential to manage heavy traffic, to avoid data loss, and to avoid server unavailability during heavy flows. One of the major tasks in a network is the load balancing in the available links. Due to the dynamic

Gridded satellite altimetry data of the Arabian Gulf during 1993–2017 were utilized to determine the relative contributions of sea surface temperature, sea level pressure, wind speed, and evaporation reanalysis data on the variability of remotely sensed sea level anomaly (SLA), which shows a mean increasing trend of 3 mm/yr. Sea surface temperature had the strongest effect on SLA, contributing 38.40%

The present work aimed to study the performance of bentonite purified (BMP-Na) and supported (α-Fe2O3/BMB) in the adsorption of 60Co from radioactive solution. The adsorbents were characterized by XRD, Mossbauer, SEM, EDS and γ-Spectrometry. Kinetics and equilibrium models were evaluated for the adsorption process including Boyd's film-diffusion models. The experimental results showed that the adsorption

This study presents a procedure for compilation of earthquake catalog for southern Pakistan (spreading over Sindh and Balochistan provinces) and frontal offshore area of Arabian Sea. The active tectonic plate margins of Indian, Eurasian and Arabian Plates and their associated fault lineaments are dominant seismic sources in study area. These seismotectonic sources are extending beyond the terrestrial

Asphalt fine aggregate matrix (FAM) consists of a binder, fine aggregate, filler, and air voids. Studies on FAM, which is one scale smaller than asphalt concrete (AC), have been gaining attention among researchers because of its considerable similarities with AC and increased testing efficiency it provides. FAM tests are mostly performed to evaluate relative material performance in case of damage.

Resource allocation is the optimal distribution in a limited number of resources available for certain activities. The allocation of the resources for a large number of activities requires exponentially multiplying a computation cost. Therefore, the resource allocation problem is known as NP-Hard problem in the literature. In this study, a multi-objective binary artificial bee colony algorithm has

The eMBB (enhanced Mobile BroadBand), URLLC (Ultra-Reliable, Low latency communication) and mMTC (massive Machine Type communication) are the drivers for 5G communication. To realize these use-cases, enhancing the throughput in available bandwidth is the fundamental requirement in the next-generation networks. If all these use-cases are satisfied without increasing the spectral efficiency, the day

A highly ordered mesoporous silica SBA-15 was modified by indole-3-carbaldehyde followed by covalent grafting of malononitrile to prepare organic–inorganic hybrid nanomaterial (SBA-IC-MN). The characterization of the product presented the successful attachment of organic moieties at the surface of SBA-15 and the preservation of the original structure of SBA-15. The optical sensing ability of SBA-IC-MN

The agricultural waste, i.e., peanut husk, was modified with iron oxide employed in Cr(VI) removal from wastewater. In this study, standard biochar (BCPH) was prepared from the pyrolysis process from peanut husk. The prepared biochar was magnetized by impregnating the iron oxide onto the surface of the biochar to enhance the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent. The morphological analysis and physicochemical

This study assesses the seismic performance of steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) composite columns connected to reinforced concrete (RC) beam joints, and their ability to dissipate seismic energy through inelastic deformations. In this article, experimental aspects regarding the seismic performance of high-ductility and low-ductility steel–concrete composite frame were investigated. The principle design

The partial substitution of ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) with clay minerals as supplementary cementitious materials has been currently considered as an effective approach for reducing the harmful environmental impact and health risks of OPC. Although cement mortars are not easily ignitable, the exposure to elevated temperatures can alter their microstructure, leading to reduction in the strength

In this study, an Otto cycle engine was converted to the Atkinson cycle engine using the method of late intake valve closing and increasing the compression ratio. Firstly, the thermodynamic analysis was conducted. In the analysis, the variation of specific heats with temperature, heat losses, pumping, and mechanical friction losses was taken into account. In-cylinder pressure variations, torque, power

The designing of an antenna with a wideband harmonic suppression will lead to enhance the overall antenna performance efficiency as well as neglecting electromagnetic noises. A “defective ground superimposing” or a Y-slot construct confederated with a ring hopefully meets an effective approach that is exploited in removing high level of harmonics in the design process. A “2.4 GHz” rectangular U-slot

Understanding the cracking characteristics of shale is necessary for oil and gas exploitation engineering. The cracking behaviours and failure modes of obliqued-layers shale specimens were studied under uniaxial compression stress. The acoustic emission response was monitored, and the displacement and strain fields were calculated with digital image correlation (DIC). For the flawed shale specimens

The adsorption of Pb2+ onto zinc–iron layered double hydroxide (ZnFe–LDH) and its composites coupled with single-walled carbon nanotubes (ZnFe–CNTs) and biochar, which had been obtained from orange peel waste biomass (ZnFe–OPb), was studied in detail. The successful formations of Zn2+- and Fe3+-LDH were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed

Subsurface uncertainties due to turbidite complexity will impact the recoverable resource and reservoir productivity which leads to decision making and planning of a deepwater field. This paper provides an alternative de-risking technique through data analytics approach in developing and managing deepwater turbidite gas assets based on global deepwater turbidite gas fields benchmarking and lessons

In order to analyze the influence position of prestressed reinforcement on the cracking load of composite girders, scale test and finite element analysis is used to study the cracking behavior of prestressed composite beam at the negative moment zone. The load–deflection curve and the cracking law of the scaled beam are obtained from the experimental results. The influence law of the resultant point

With the aim of analyzing the ability of vegetable oil-based liquid insulation as alternate medium under moisture-rich environment, this study presents an experimental analysis of impact on breakdown voltage characteristics vegetable oil-based insulating liquids for the moisture inclusion with oil sample. The study has been proposed to carry out with different categories of groundnut oil in crude form

Pixel-value differencing (PVD) steganography can embed a large quantity of information and effectively resist regular/singular (RS) detection. Recent steganography techniques that are based on PVD have only focused on improving embedding capacity and image quality. In terms of security, PVD steganography has typically only been tested against well-known RS detection analysis or pixel difference histogram

Badger exploration is a novel drilling technology that removes the need for a fixed rig and can achieve drilling without drill strings and drilling fluid. To achieve bit cooling during badger drilling, this paper proposes a self-cooling bit that can achieve self-cooling based on transpiration cooling technology. The self-cooling bit is characterized by the coolant chambers, capillary tubes and transpiration

Advances in communication technologies have enabled peoples to deliver more. Due to this phenomenon, an increasing amount of data are easily disseminated and published on the internet, which encouraged the practice of paraphrasing. It allows the original sentence to be concealed by alternative expressions of the same meaning. Its detection consists in identifying the degree of semantic similarity between

In this paper, the teaching–learning-based optimization-based functional link artificial neural network (FLANN) has been proposed for the real-time identification of Maglev system. This proposed approach has been compared with some of the other state-of-the-art approaches, such as multilayer perceptron–backpropagation, FLANN least mean square, FLANN particle swarm optimization and FLANN black widow

SS 201 had been reported as a good substitute for SS304 without any significant compromise in performance. However, modeling EBW process using an efficient tool like adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and use of multi-objective optimization to optimize its performance are not reported yet. Thus, the present study employed ANFIS models tuned by genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization

This study presents online-tuning approach using the moth flame optimization (MFO) algorithm to optimize the parameters of PID and modified PID (I-PD) controllers used in the split-range scheme to control the temperature of the mixing process. The performance of these controllers is investigated for the individual temperature setpoints in terms of settling time and compared with performances obtained

In this study, the effects of reinforcement using polypropylene fiber dry-mix shotcrete on the behaviors of U-shaped masonry walls were experimentally studied, and predicting modeling was performed with XGBoost. Firstly, five full-scale masonry specimens were constructed. A specimen was left unstrengthened. The other four specimens were coated with dry-mix shotcrete with layer thicknesses of 50 and

Because of the low surface roughness of three-dimensional (3D) printed microchannels, in some environments, the use requirements cannot be met, and, at the same time, they are difficult to process. Therefore, a surface roughness analysis of 3D printed microchannels and post-processing using abrasive flow technology are proposed. The value of the inner surface roughness of the straight pipe part was

A numerical study of the start-up transient and cyclic stationary operation of a single-compartment household refrigerator and an analysis of performance quantities at different refrigerant charges are performed. The working fluid is HFC-134a. The numerical model was developed using the commercial software GT-SUITE®. The individual models available in the software were applied for each component of

In order to improve the parameter estimation accuracy of three-parameter Weibull distribution, a novel parameter estimation method using chaos simulated annealing particle swarm optimization (CSAPSO) algorithm is proposed. The simulated annealing (SA) algorithm is used to update the inertia weight of particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm according to the Metropolis acceptance criteria. The Chebyshev

Al 4043 is commonly used as a filler material for welding of aluminium-based components. In the present research work, Al 4043/xTiB2 (titanium diboride) microcomposites (x = 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 wt%) are fabricated by dilution of Al 4043/10TiB2 in situ master composites synthesized by salt-melt reaction. To synthesize the nanocomposites, in situ Al 4043/10TiB2 composites are re-melted, diluted and ultrasonic-treated

The particle shape contributes significantly to sand mechanical properties but is difficult to study in laboratory experiments. In this study, microscopy experiments were used to classify sand particle morphologies as spherical, non-spherical and ball-shaped. Particles with these three morphologies were modeled using the discrete element method to analyze the effect of the particle shape on the shear

In this study, a simple but efficient bilevel multiobjective model (BLMOM) has been formulated for the optimal allocation of available water (AW) among competing water users. Upper-level decision makers (DMs), being the leader in the hierarchy (i.e., river authorities), allocate AW to lower-level DMs (i.e., canal authorities) based on equity and stability, whereas lower-level DMs allocate AW among

The present examination is considered to discuss the steady, two-dimensional flow of heat and mass transfer of nanofluid flow along with the variable suction under the influence of heat source/sink alongside the viscous dissipation. Because of the stretchable surface, flow is generated. Spectral relaxation technique is used to acquire the numerical solution for the altered nonlinear group of differential

The dynamic Young’s modulus (Edyn) is an important factor for evaluating the static Young’s modulus which is an important parameter influences hydraulic fracturing design, drilling performance, in situ stresses estimation, and wellbore stability evaluation. Currently, the prediction of the Edyn requires the knowledge of the shear and compressional velocities and bulk density, which may not always be

The last decade witnessed a vast advancement in several fields of science and technology, including 3D printing. 3D printing is utilized in a wide range of applications, from printing small objects to full-size houses. This research aims to examine thermal neutron attenuation using Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) filament infused with a thermal neutron absorbent, employing a Monte Carlo simulation

Implementing security and privacy requirements at every level of the software development cycle is imperative for ensuring optimum usability as well as the users’ satisfaction. Software development must consider and comply effectively with the risks involved in the privacy and protection of confidential data. This research study endeavors to integrate the standards of data protection along with the

Knowledge on shale formations which make up almost 70% of the wellbore section is crucial since drilling through shale formations are very problematic. Various mud configurations have been designed to curtail these challenges over the years. One of the approaches in solving this challenge is designing optimum membrane efficient water-based drilling fluids capable of generating high osmotic pressures

Ternary mixed biofuels are receiving increased scientific attention, and recently, researchers proposed different biofuel mixtures under dissimilar engine conditions; each researcher argued that his/her proposed one is the next generation alternative. Accordingly, such ternary biofuel mixtures are extremely needed to be compared against each other under the same engine conditions to provide the best/most