A comparative study on the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass by chemical and biological method

Ethanol derived from non-edible biomass is renewable and a clean source of energy. It is independent of the food industry and it is economically feasible. The first generation biofuel or bioethanol is still not a very convenient source of energy as it prominently depends on the availability of grains. The main objective of this work is to develop an industrious efficient process to produce ethanol from lignocellulosic biomasses like wood and leaf in a lab scale. Two processes were compared. The first process involved an alkaline pre-treatment of the powdered biomass followed by dilute acid hydrolysis. The second process involved an alkaline treatment followed by direct hydrolysis of the biomass by use of a fungal species obtained from rotting wood. Following hydrolysis, fermentation was performed using _Saccharomyces cerevisiae_ and ethanol produced was measured. The process methodologies performed here are liable to be scaled up easily. The final study determines factors such as temperature, strength of the reagents and retention time to maximize ethanol production

Optimum Power Output Control of a Wind Turbine Rotor

© 2016 S. Wijewardana et al. An active and optimum controller is applied to regulate the power output from a wind turbine rotor. The controller is synthesized in two steps. The first step defines the equilibrium operation point and ensures that the desired equilibrium point is stable. The stability of the equilibrium point is guaranteed by a control law that is synthesized by applying the methodology of model predictive control (MPC). The method of controlling the turbine involves pitching the turbine blades. In the second step the blade pitch angle demand is defined. This involves minimizing the mean square error between the actual and desired power coefficient. The actual power coefficient of the wind turbine rotor is evaluated assuming that the blade is capable of stalling, using blade element momentum theory. This ensures that the power output of the rotor can be reduced to any desired value which is generally not possible unless a nonlinear stall model is introduced to evaluate the blade profile coefficients of lift and drag. The relatively simple and systematic nonlinear modelling and MPC controller synthesis approach adopted in this paper clearly highlights the main features on the controller that is capable of regulating the power output of the wind turbine rotor

A review of modeling and control of remote-controlled capsule endoscopes.

INTRODUCTION: The significance of this review lies in addressing the limitations of passive locomotion in capsule endoscopes, hindering their widespread use in medical applications. The research focuses on evaluating existing miniature in vivo remote-controlled capsule endoscopes, examining their locomotion designs, and working theories to pave the way for overcoming challenges and enhancing their applicability in diagnostic and treatment settings. AREAS COVERED: This paper explores control methods and dynamic system modeling in the context of self-propelled remote-controlled capsule endoscopes with a two-mass arrangement. The literature search, conducted at Queen Mary University of London Library from 2000 to 2022, utilized a systematic approach starting with the broad keyword 'Capsule Endoscope' and progressively narrowing down to specific aspects such as 'Capsule Endoscope Control' and 'Self-propelled Capsule Endoscope' using various criteria. EXPERT OPINION: Efficiently driving and controlling remote-controlled capsule endoscopes have the potential to overcome the current limitations in medical technology, offering a viable solution for diagnosing and treating gastrointestinal diseases. Successful control of the remote-controlled capsule endoscope, as demonstrated in this review paper, will lead to a step change in medical engineering, establishing the remote-controlled capsule endoscope as a swift standard in the field

Optimal Trajectory Synthesis for Spacecraft Asteroid Rendezvous

Several researchers are considering the plausibility of being able to rapidly launch a mission to an asteroid, which would fly in close proximity of the asteroid to deliver an impulse in a particular direction so as to deflect the asteroid from its current orbit. Planetary motion, in general, and the motion of asteroids, in particular, are subject to planetary influences that are characterised by a kind of natural symmetry, which results in an asteroid orbiting in a stable and periodic or almost periodic orbit exhibiting a number of natural orbital symmetries. Tracking and following an asteroid, in close proximity, is the subject of this paper. In this paper, the problem of synthesizing an optimal trajectory to a NEO such as an asteroid is considered. A particular strategy involving the optimization of a co-planar trajectory segment that permits the satellite to approach and fly alongside the asteroid is chosen. Two different state space representations of the Hill–Clohessy–Wiltshire (HCW) linearized equations of relative motion are used to obtain optimal trajectories for a spacecraft approaching an asteroid. It is shown that by using a state space representation of HCW equations where the secular states are explicitly represented, the optimal trajectories are not only synthesized rapidly but also result in lower magnitudes of control inputs which must be applied continuously over extended periods of time. Thus, the solutions obtained are particularly suitable for low thrust control of the satellites orbit which can be realized by electric thrusters

Safety and Mobility Impacts of Winter Weather --Phase 3

Highway agencies spend millions of dollars to ensure safe and efficient winter travel. However, the effectiveness of winter-weather maintenance practices on safety and mobility are somewhat difficult to quantify. Safety and Mobility Impacts of Winter Weather - Phase 1 investigated opportunities for improving traffic safety on state-maintained roads in Iowa during winter-weather conditions. In Phase 2, three Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) high-priority sites were evaluated and realistic maintenance and operations mitigation strategies were also identified. In this project, site prioritization techniques for identifying roadway segments with the potential for safety improvements related to winter-weather crashes, were developed through traditional naïve statistical methods by using raw crash data for seven winter seasons and previously developed metrics. Additionally, crash frequency models were developed using integrated crash data for four winter seasons, with the objective of identifying factors that affect crash frequency during winter seasons and screening roadway segments using the empirical Bayes technique. Based on these prioritization techniques, 11 sites were identified and analyzed in conjunction with input from Iowa DOT district maintenance managers and snowplow operators and the Iowa DOT Road Weather Information System (RWIS) coordinator

Safety and Mobility Impacts of Winter Weather --Phase 3 Tech Transfer Summary

Highway agencies spend millions of dollars to ensure safe and efficient winter travel. However, the effectiveness of winter-weather maintenance practices on safety and mobility are somewhat difficult to quantify. Safety and Mobility Impacts of Winter Weather - Phase 1 investigated opportunities for improving traffic safety on state-maintained roads in Iowa during winter-weather conditions. In Phase 2, three Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) high-priority sites were evaluated and realistic maintenance and operations mitigation strategies were also identified. In this project, site prioritization techniques for identifying roadway segments with the potential for safety improvements related to winter-weather crashes, were developed through traditional naïve statistical methods by using raw crash data for seven winter seasons and previously developed metrics. Additionally, crash frequency models were developed using integrated crash data for four winter seasons, with the objective of identifying factors that affect crash frequency during winter seasons and screening roadway segments using the empirical Bayes technique. Based on these prioritization techniques, 11 sites were identified and analyzed in conjunction with input from Iowa DOT district maintenance managers and snowplow operators and the Iowa DOT Road Weather Information System (RWIS) coordinator

Evaluation of nipple aspirate fluid as a diagnostic tool for early detection of breast cancer

YesThere has been tremendous progress in detection of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, resulting in two-thirds of women surviving more than 20 years after treatment. However, breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancerrelated deaths in premenopausal women. Breast cancer is increasing in younger women due to changes in life-style as well as those at high risk as carriers of mutations in high-penetrance genes. Premenopausal women with breast cancer are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive tumours and therefore have a lower survival rate. Mammography plays an important role in detecting breast cancer in postmenopausal women, but is considerably less sensitive in younger women. Imaging techniques, such as contrast-enhanced MRI improve sensitivity, but as with all imaging approaches, cannot differentiate between benign and malignant growths. Hence, current well-established detection methods are falling short of providing adequate safety, convenience, sensitivity and specificity for premenopausal women on a global level, necessitating the exploration of new methods. In order to detect and prevent the disease in high risk women as early as possible, methods that require more frequent monitoring need to be developed. The emergence of “omics” strategies over the last 20 years, enabling the characterisation and understanding of breast cancer at the molecular level, are providing the potential for long term, longitudinal monitoring of the disease. Tissue and serum biomarkers for breast cancer stratification, diagnosis and predictive outcome have emerged, but have not successfully translated into clinical screening for early detection of the disease. The use of breast-specific liquid biopsies, such as nipple aspirate fluid (NAF), a natural secretion produced by breast epithelial cells, can be collected non-invasively for biomarker profiling. As we move towards an age of active surveillance, home-based liquid biopsy collection kits are increasingly being applied and these could provide a paradigm shift where NAF biomarker profiling is used for routine breast health monitoring. The current status of established and newly emerging imaging techniques for early detection of breast cancer and the potential for alternative biomarker screening of liquid biopsies, particularly those applied to high-risk, premenopausal women, will be reviewed.Proteomics research was supported by Yorkshire Cancer Research projects, BPP047 and B381PA, and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research Promotion Foundation projects ΥΓΕΙΑ/ΒΙΟΣ/0311(ΒΙΕ/07) and NEKYP/0311/17

Entrepreneurial capital, social values and Islamic traditions: exploring the growth of women-owned enterprises in Pakistan

Main ArticleThis study seeks to explore the variables contributing to the growth of women-owned enterprises in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Based on a previously established multivariate model, it uses two econometric approaches: first classifying variables into predetermined blocks; and second, using the general to specific approach. Statistical analyses and in-depth interviews confirm that women entrepreneurs’ personal resources and social capital have a significant role in their business growth. Further, it reveals that the moral support of immediate family, independent mobility and being allowed to meet with men play a decisive role in the sales and employment growth of women-owned enterprises in an Islamic country such as Pakistan