Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine fuelled with ethanol, iso -octane and products of in -cylinder reformation in an IDI-type engine

The major focus of this research is to analyze the individual parameters, such as, fuel chemistry, EGR, intake air temperature and engine speed that affect the HCCI combustion on-set and to utilize in-cylinder reformation as means of controlling the HCCI combustion on-set. A new in-cylinder reformation system to control the on-set of combustion has been designed and fabricated with direct injection capabilities to examine the proposed in-cylinder reformation process. The proposed reformation strategy has the advantage of temporarily varying the compression ratio during the compression stroke and controlling the HCCI combustion on-set, in addition to the effects of fuel reformation products. The methodology adopted in this thesis to identify these parameters is mostly experimental. However, there is a smaller computational component which involves HCCI cycle calculations with fuel reformation using a single-zone model. The computational part is primarily used to analyze the advantages of a proposed in-cylinder reformation strategy on HCCI combustion before implementation in the experimental set-up. The experimental engine used for the study is a four-stroke, three cylinder In-Direct Injection (IDI) type compression ignition engine which was converted to single cylinder operation for HCCI combustion. The HCCI engine was fuelled with a lean mixture of air and fuel (ethanol, iso-octane, mixture of ethanol/iso-octane or ethanol with products of in-cylinder reformation). Based on cycle-resolved in-cylinder pressure measurements, the experimental results demonstrate that the addition of iso-octane to ethanol retards the onset of combustion and subsequently leads to a reduction of the IMEP and thermal efficiency. The addition of EGR retards the on-set of HCCI combustion and the study indicates that ethanol allows for the use of higher percentage of EGR when compared to iso-octane. The proposed in-cylinder reformation strategy is an effective method for controlling HCCI combustion on-set (SOC) and reduces the regulated engine-out emissions. The temporary change in compression ratio that results from utilizing the proposed pre-chamber methodology has a stronger influence in controlling the HCCI combustion on-set (SOC) compared to the effects of fuel reformation products alone

Novel MobileNet based Multipath Convolutional Neural Network for defect detection in fabrics

Automatic fabric defect detection and classification is the most important process in the textile industry to ensure the fabric quality. In the existing systems, a learning based method is used for detecting defects in plain weave fabrics. In this paper, a novel MobileNet based Multipath Convolutional Neural Network (MMPCNN) architecture is proposed for detection and classification of simple and complex patterned fabric defects. In the proposed MMPCNN architecture, MobileNet model is used in the first path. In this, Gabor filter bank is used instead of conventional filters in the first convolution layer. A simple convolutional neural network architecture with Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) features as an input is used in the second path of the MMPCNN architecture.  Gabor filters are more useful for analyzing the texture with different orientations and scales. Each Gabor filter parameter has its own impact on analyzing the texture and extracting the information from the texture. Therefore, in this paper, the use of Gabor filter parameters in MMPCNN architecture is analyzed. The proposed model is experimented on the TILDA textile image database and it is able to achieve 100% accuracy with reduced trainable parameters for fabric defect detection and classification

OCIMUM SANCTUM EXTRACT COATING ON BIOMATERIAL SURFACES TO PREVENT BACTERIAL ADHESION AND BIOFILM GROWTH

Objective: The objective of this work is to evaluate the performance of OS extract as a coating on biomaterial surfaces in preventing bacterial adhesionand biofilm growth, as an effective measure to combat Biomaterial associated infections.Methods: Here, we have incorporated the extract from a medicinal plant as a coating to biomaterial surfaces in order to prevent bacterial adhesionand biofilm growth. To this end, Ocimum sanctum (OS) oil extract is coated on biomaterials (polymethyl methacrylate and polystyrene) and bacteriasuch as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were allowed to adhere and grow for 1 hr, 3 hrs and 24 hrs.Results: A significant reduction (p<0.01) in number of adherent bacteria on OS extract coated surfaces compared to bare surfaces was observed atall-time points. The zone of inhibition of OS extract was observed for all the three bacteria and maximum inhibition was observed for P. aeruginosa(30 mm diameter) compared to S. aureus (25 mm diameter) and E. coli (28 mm diameter).Conclusion: Thus, OS oil extract could be a promising coating for reduction of bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.Keywords: Antibacterial coating, Bacterial adhesion, Biofilm, Biomaterial, Biomaterials-associated infection, Ocimum sanctum

OCIMUM BASILICUM L. ESSENTIAL OIL COATED BIOMATERIAL SURFACES PREVENT BACTERIAL ADHESION AND BIOFILM GROWTH

Objective: Biomaterials associated infection is the most common issue associated with the biomaterial implants regardless of its form or function.Bacteria form colonies and this result in the formation of biofilm on the surface, making the infection unreceptive to antibiotics and host defensemechanisms. The implant is removed as an outcome. Medicinal plants have widespread usage for their active biomolecules, and the study of theirantimicrobial activities has gained widespread importance.Methods: In this study, the essential oil of Ocimum basilicum L. (OB) is coated on biomaterial surfaces to study their efficacy in preventing bacterialcolonization and biofilm formation. The essential oil is coated on polymethylmethacrylate and polystyrene substratum surfaces. Gram-positivebacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Gram-negative bacteria, including Escherichia coli and Pseudomonasaeruginosa, are allowed to adhere and grow for 1 hr, 3 hrs, and 24 hrs.Results: The number of bacteria adhering to the coated surfaces is significantly less (**p<0.01) compared to uncoated surfaces, at the measuredinstances of time. The zone of inhibition of the essential oil is observed for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Maximum inhibition wasobserved for S. aureus (30±1.2 mm diameter) compared to S. epidermidis (28±0.8 mm diameter), E. coli (25±1.1 mm diameter), and P. aeruginosa(21±0.6 mm diameter).Conclusion: The study reveals potent bacteriostatic effects of OB essential oil on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Thus, OB. essentialoil serves to be a promising coating on the implant surfaces for preventing bacterial adhesion and biofilm growth.Keywords: Biomaterials, Bacterial adhesion, Biofilm, Ocimum bacilicum L., Antibacterial coating

Combustion characteristics of lithium perchlorate-based electrically controlled solid propellants at elevated pressures

Electrically controlled solid propellants (ECSPs) exhibit specific combustion characteristics that offer multiple start/stop operations and variable combustion rates at different electrical power. The present study investigates ignition and pyroelectric combustion characteristics of ECSPs, based on lithium perchlorate (LP) oxidizer and poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) binder, in the elevated pressure range of 0.1 to 2.0 MPa, and to further understand the performance of tungsten (W) as a metal additive. Experiments are conducted for metallized ECSPs with 5% (M5), 10% (M10) and 15% (M15) W content, relative to the non-metallized case. Ignition delay time (Tign) for the baseline (M0) decreased substantially from 633 ms at 0.1 MPa to 178 ms at 2.0 MPa pressure. A similar decreasing trend for the minimum electrical energy required for ignition was also observed with increase in pressure. Addition of W decreased Tign and electrical ignition energy significantly by 33% and 66% respectively, for M15 relative to M0. Furthermore, thermochemical equilibrium analysis indicated that the adiabatic combustion temperature and specific impulse decreased with increase in W content due to increased fuel-rich stoichiometry. Overall, the metal addition significantly enhanced the combustion rates at all pressure range below 2.0 MPa. It is anticipated that the observed characteristics at elevated pressures provide insights into the design of electrically-controlled operations for future propulsion systems

Identification and molecular characterization of drug targets of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Antimicrobial resistance is a major world health concern and drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a serious threat. Due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains, there is an urgent need to develop novel drug targets to meet the challenge of multidrug-resistant organisms. The main objective of the current study was to determine molecular targets against S. aureus using by computational approach. S. aureus was cultured in brain heart infusion broth medium and MRSA (Methicillin resistant S. aureus) protein was extracted acetone-sodium dodecyl sulfate method. The cell lysate was treated with various antibiotics and proteinase K stable proteins were analyzed. The molecular weight of Geninthiocin-targeted protein of interest in S. aureus ranged from 46 to 50 kDa. A prominent protein band in SDS-PAGE indicated that the protein corresponding 50 kDa was resistant against proteinase K. The SDS-PAGE separated sample was excised and trypsinated, and the peptides were characterized using Nano Liquid Chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. Spectrum with clusters of molecular peptides and peptide fragments ranging from 110.0716 to 1002.7093 mass/charge ratio (m/z) were displayed against intensity or relative abundance in the excised gel band. The spectral data from nano LC-MS/MS was subjected to mascot search in the NCBIprot database (taxonomy-bacteria (eubacteria), resulting in seven bacterial proteins. Geninthiocin target proteins were determined against MRSA. To conclude, antibiotic target proteins were identified using a machine learning approach and these targets may have a lot of applications in developing a novel lead molecule against drug-resistant bacteria

A fracture of OS trigonum: a rare case report

Fractures of os trigonum is an extremely rare event. It is one of the accessory ossicles of the foot found in about 7 % of the population. Very few cases have been reported in the literature about a fracture of the ostrigonum. We present a case of fracture of ostrigonum with associated fracture of the fibula and a large lacerated wound in the leg, in a young man sustained due to road traffic accident. The initial radiological examination with Xray ankle showed a doubtful fracture of posterior process of talus but was not clear. The diagnosis was clinched by CT scan of the ankle with 2mm cuts, which showed clearly a fracture of the os trigonum. It was treated by flap cover for the wound and plaster immobilisation for the fracture. So, any doubtful fracture near the posterior process of talus should be fully assessed radiologically with a CT scan to guide in the treatment

Functional Group Analysis of Hybrid Polyurethane Foam Derived from Waste Cooking Oil

Annually, a staggering three billion gallons of Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) are generated globally. To foster a health-conscious lifestyle and champion the creation of an unpolluted environment, effective WCO management is imperative. The repetitive utilization of WCO for cooking purposes yields detrimental effects on human health and diminishes overall productivity. This research delves into the fundamental characteristics of bio-based polyurethane (bio-PU), derived from discarded sunflower and palm oils. The findings are juxtaposed with those of non-biodegradable commercially available Polyurethane (PU). Through a process of addition polymerization conducted at room temperature, samples of PU foam are created. Specifically, 2.5 ml, 5 ml, and 7.5 ml of sunflower and palm oil are amalgamated with 5 ml of polyol and an equivalent amount of isocyanate. The vibrational attributes of amino acids and cofactors, which exhibit sensitivity to subtle structural alterations, are closely examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). This technique, despite its lack of pinpoint precision, permits direct exploration of the vibrational properties of numerous cofactors, amino acid side chains, and water molecules. The presence of Polyurethane and its associated functional groups in the synthesized samples is verified through Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. To ascertain Temperature ranges for primary phases of thermal degradation, discernible chemical bands within foams—comprising both recognized and unfamiliar compounds with distinct groupings—are evaluated. Emphasis is placed on identifying the peak release rates of particular chemical compounds (namely, CO2, -NCO, H2O, and C=O)

Fabric Defect Identification Using Back Propagation Neural Networks

Fabric defect identification plays a very important role for the automatic detection in fabrics. Fabric defect identification mainly includes three parts: The first, preprocessing with Frequency domain Butterworth Low pass Filter and Histogram Equalization. The second, extraction of texture features from fabric using Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM).The Co-occurrence matrix characterizes the distribution of co-occurring pixel values in an image to be at a given offset, and then the statistical features are extracted from this matrix. The Third, the extracted GLCM features are used for the classification of the texture using Back Propagation Neural Network with different learning rules for their effectiveness comparison

Leucine Carboxyl Methyltransferase 1 Overexpression Protects Against Cognitive and Electrophysiological Impairments in Tg2576 APP Transgenic Mice

Background: The serine/threonine protein phosphatase, PP2A, is thought to play a central role in the molecular pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and the activity and substrate specificity of PP2A is regulated, in part, through methylation and demethylation of its catalytic subunit. Previously, we found that transgenic overexpression of the PP2A methyltransferase, LCMT-1, or the PP2A methylesterase, PME-1, altered the sensitivity of mice to impairments caused by acute exposure to synthetic oligomeric amyloid-β (Aβ). Objective: Here we sought to test the possibility that these molecules also controlled sensitivity to impairments caused by chronically elevated levels of Aβ produced in vivo. Methods: To do this, we examined the effects of transgenic LCMT-1, or PME-1 overexpression on cognitive and electrophysiological impairments caused by chronic overexpression of mutant human APP in Tg2576 mice. Results: We found that LCMT-1 overexpression prevented impairments in short-term spatial memory and synaptic plasticity in Tg2576 mice, without altering APP expression or soluble Aβ levels. While the magnitude of the effects of PME-1 overexpression in Tg2576 mice was small and potentially confounded by the emergence of non-cognitive impairments, Tg2576 mice that overexpressed PME-1 showed a trend toward earlier onset and/or increased severity of cognitive and electrophysiological impairments. Conclusion: These data suggest that the PP2A methyltransferase, LCMT-1, and the PP2A methylesterase, PME-1, may participate in the molecular pathogenesis of AD by regulating sensitivity to the pathogenic effects of chronically elevated levels of Aβ