Solar energy based impedance-source inverter for grid system

In this work, the fickleness of solar energy can be overcome by using Maximum Power Point Tracking algorithm (MPPT). Perturb and Observation (P&O) MPPT algorithm accomplish fast the maximum power point for rapid change of environmental conditions such as irradiance intensity and temperature. The MPPT algorithm applied to solar PV system keep the boost converter output constant. Output from boost converter is taken to three phase impedance-source inverter with RL load and grid system. Impedance-source inverter performs the transformation of variable DC output of the solar PV system in to near sinusoidal AC output. This near sinusoidal AC output consecutively is served to the RL load first and then to grid system. The simulation is carried out in matlab/simulink platform both for RL load and grid system and the simulation results are experimentally validated for RL load arrangement only

Shigella apyrase – a novel variant of bacterial acid phosphatases?

AbstractA virulence-associated ATP diphosphohydrolase activity in the periplasm of Shigella, identified as apyrase, was found to be markedly similar to bacterial non-specific acid phosphatases in primary structure. When the Shigella apyrase sequence was threaded in to the recently published 3D structure of the highly similar (73%) Escherichia blattae acid phosphatase it was found to have a highly overlapping 3D structure. Our analysis, which included assays for phosphatase, haloperoxidase and catalase activities, led us to hypothesize that Shigella apyrase might belong to a new class of pyrophosphatase originating as one more variant in the family of bacterial non-specific acid phosphatases. It revealed interesting structure–function relationships and probable roles relevant to pathogenesis

Bacterial lipid modification of proteins for novel protein engineering applications

Functioning of proteins efficiently at the solid-liquid interface is critical to not only biological but also modern man-made systems such as ELISA, liposomes and biosensors. Anchoring hydrophilic proteins poses a major challenge in this regard. Lipid modification, N-acyl-S-diacylglyceryl-Cys, providing an N-terminal hydrophobic membrane anchor is a viable solution that bacteria have successfully evolved but remains unexploited. Based on the current understanding of this ubiquitous and unique bacterial lipid modification it is possible to use Escherichia coli, the popular recombinant protein expression host, for converting a non-lipoprotein to a lipoprotein with a hydrophobic anchor at the N-terminal end. We report two strategies applicable to non-lipoproteins (with or without signal sequences) employing minimal sequence change. Taking periplasmic Shigella apyrase as an example, its signal sequence was engineered to include a lipobox, an essential determinant for lipid modification, or its mature sequence was fused to the signal sequence of abundant outer membrane lipoprotein, Lpp. Lipid modification was proved by membrane localization, electrophoretic mobility shift and mass spectrometric analysis. Substrate specificity and specific activity measurements indicated functional integrity after modification. In conclusion, a convenient protein engineering strategy for converting non-lipoprotein to lipoprotein for commercial application has been devised and tested successfully

FPGA acceleration of structured-mesh-based explicit and implicit numerical solvers using SYCL

We explore the design and development of structured-mesh based solvers on current Intel FPGA hardware using the SYCL programming model. Two classes of applications are targeted : (1) stencil applications based on explicit numerical methods and (2) multidimensional tridiagonal solvers based on implicit methods. Both classes of solvers appear as core modules in a wide-range of realworld applications ranging from CFD to financial computing. A general, unified workflow is formulated for synthesizing them on Intel FPGAs together with predictive analytic models to explore the design space to obtain near-optimal performance. Performance of synthesized designs, using the above techniques, for two non-trivial applications on an Intel PAC D5005 FPGA card is benchmarked. Results are compared to performance of optimized parallel implementations of the same applications on a Nvidia V100 GPU. Observed runtime results indicate the FPGA providing better or matching performance to the V100 GPU. However, more importantly the FPGA solutions provide 59%-76% less energy consumption for their largest configurations, making them highly attractive for solving workloads based on these applications in production settings. The performance model predicts the runtime of designs with high accuracy with less than 5% error for all cases tested, demonstrating their significant utility for design space explorations. With these tools and techniques, we discuss determinants for a given structuredmesh code to be amenable to FPGA implementation, providing insights into the feasibility and profitability of a design, how they can be codified using SYCL and the resulting performance

Studies on the antidiarrhoeal activity of Aegle marmelos unripe fruit: Validating its traditional usage

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Aegle marmelos </it>(L.) Correa has been widely used in indigenous systems of Indian medicine due to its various medicinal properties. However, despite its traditional usage as an anti-diarrhoeal there is limited information regarding its mode of action in infectious forms of diarrhoea. Hence, we evaluated the hot aqueous extract (decoction) of dried unripe fruit pulp of <it>A. marmelos </it>for its antimicrobial activity and effect on various aspects of pathogenicity of infectious diarrhoea.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The decoction was assessed for its antibacterial, antigiardial and antirotaviral activities. The effect of the decoction on adherence of enteropathogenic <it>Escherichia coli </it>and invasion of enteroinvasive <it>E. coli </it>and <it>Shigella flexneri </it>to HEp-2 cells were assessed as a measure of its effect on colonization. The effect of the decoction on production of <it>E. coli </it>heat labile toxin (LT) and cholera toxin (CT) and their binding to ganglioside monosialic acid receptor (GM1) were assessed by GM1-enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay whereas its effect on production and action of <it>E. coli </it>heat stable toxin (ST) was assessed by suckling mouse assay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The decoction showed cidal activity against <it>Giardia </it>and rotavirus whereas viability of none of the six bacterial strains tested was affected. It significantly reduced bacterial adherence to and invasion of HEp-2 cells. The extract also affected production of CT and binding of both LT and CT to GM1. However, it had no effect on ST.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The decoction of the unripe fruit pulp of <it>A. marmelos</it>, despite having limited antimicrobial activity, affected the bacterial colonization to gut epithelium and production and action of certain enterotoxins. These observations suggest the varied possible modes of action of <it>A. marmelos </it>in infectious forms of diarrhoea thereby validating its mention in the ancient Indian texts and continued use by local communities for the treatment of diarrhoeal diseases.</p

Utilisation of Fly Ash in Structural Concrete for Sustainable Construction

Our industrial world produces huge quantities of fly ash, which is a waste and need to be disposed safely or else it can cause disastrous consequences. The disposal of fly ash has been causing a headache to the environmentalists across the globe. Fly ash is a high pozzolanic industrial waste which has the substantial potential to substitute Portland cement, a major producer of CO2 and thereby decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. The production of fly ash is increasing in every year but the utilisation of fly ash is not even half of the production of fly ash. The effective utilisation of fly ash is restricted only to manufacture of bricks, producing fly ash based pozzolanic cement and use in pavements. To utilise the fly ash in high volume the innovative idea is fly ash used as a replacement material for cement and fine aggregate in structural concrete like RCC beam, concrete paver blocks, making fly ash pellets and fly ash angular aggregate. Concrete paver blocks are being used for various purposes like paving of approaches, paths, parking places and footpaths. They also find their application in roadways or pavements. The increasing costs of construction or building materials and the need to meet sustainable development, different alternative construction methods, techniques and materials are being used extensively to replace old conventional methods. So as to enhance and improvise the applications of concrete paver blocks, proper knowledge and understanding of the products produced with materials, which are available locally and mineral admixtures, which are produced indigenously is essential. This paper discusses sand replacement with fly ash, coarse aggregate replacement with fly ash pellets in low grade concrete, cement and sand replacement with fly ash in high grade concrete paver blocks. For low grade of concrete, the mix design was prepared for M20 concrete as per IS method. Sand was replaced partially with fly ash up to 60% by weight. To know the effect of sand replacement compressive strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength at 7 and 28 days are studied and optimum percentage of replacement noted. Then RCC beam casted with optimum percentage of sand replacement for flexure failure and behaviour compared with control concrete beam. Again the 10mm coarse aggregate were replaced up to 100% and compressive strength of cubes were studied. The mix design was done for M20 grade of concrete for light weight concrete beam with fly ash pellets without granite aggregate, compressive strength of cubes and behaviour of flexural failure of RCC beam studied and compared with conventional concrete beam. Finally, the mix design was done for high grade concrete paver block by considering medium traffic. For the medium traffic the grade of concrete considered is M40. The shapes of the paver block considered in this project are Zig zag (60mm), Zig Zag(80mm), Dumbel (60mm), Rectangle(60mm), I(60mm), Pentagon(80mm). Sand replaced by fly ash source of steel plant sambalpur up to 40% and the corresponding 7 and 28 days compressive and flexural strength, water absorption, Durability (Freeze thaw test) characteristics were studied and compared with conventional control mix concrete. Similarly cement replaced by fly ash source of steel plant Dhenkanal up to 40% and the corresponding 7 and 28 days compressive and flexural strength, water absorption, characteristics were studied and compared with conventional control mix concrete. The experimental results indicate there is significant improve in strength characteristics over control concrete when sand replaced by fly ash source of Bushan steel plant sampalbur up to 30% in low grade concrete and sand replaced by fly ash source of Bushan steel plant sampalbur upto 30% and cement replaced by fly ash source of Bushan steel plant Dhenkanal up to 40% in high grade concrete paver block. Since the fly ash is used for sand replacement it reduces the depletion of mineral resources and used for cement replacement it reduces the production greenhouse and makes sustainable environment