Experimental investigation into the effect of magnetic fuel reforming on diesel combustion and emissions running on wheat germ and pine oil

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The present study aims to explore the effect of fuel ionisation on engine performance, emission and combustion characteristics of a twin cylinder compression ignition (CI) engine running on biofuel. Wheat germ oil (WGO) and pine oil (PO) have been identified as diesel fuel surrogates with high and low viscosities, respectively. High viscosity biofuels result in incomplete combustion due to poor atomisation and evaporation which ultimately leads to insufficient air-fuel mixing to form a combustible mixture. Consequently, engines running on this type of fuel suffer from lower brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and higher soot emission. In contrast, low viscosity biofuels exhibit superior combustion characteristics however they have a low cetane number which causes longer ignition delay and therefore higher NO emission. To overcome the limitations of both fuels, a fuel ionisation filter (FIF) with a permanent magnet is installed upstream of the fuel pump which electrochemically ionises the fuel molecules and aids in quick dispersion of the ions. The engine used in this investigation is a twin cylinder tractor engine that runs at a constant speed of 1500 rpm. The engine was initially run on diesel to warm-up before switching to WGO and PO, this was mainly due to poor cold start performance characteristics of both fuels. At 100% load, BTE for WGO is reduced by 4% compared to diesel and improved by 7% with FIF. In contrast, BTE for PO is 4% higher compared to diesel, however, FIF has minimal effect on BTE when running on PO. Although, smoke, HC and CO emissions were higher for WGO compared to diesel, they were lower with FIF due to improved combustion. These emissions were consistently lower for PO due to superior combustion performance, mainly attributed to low viscosity of the fuel. However, NO emission for PO (1610 ppm) is higher compared to diesel (1580 ppm) at 100% load and reduced with FIF (1415 ppm). NO emission is reduced by approximately 12% for PO+FIF compared to PO. The results suggest that FIF has the potential to improve diesel combustion performance and reduce NO emission produced by CI engines running on high and low viscosity biofuels, respectively.Peer reviewe

A Perturbed Self-organizing Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm to solve Multiobjective TSP

Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP) is a very important NP-Hard problem getting focused more on these days. Having improvement on TSP, right now consider the multi-objective TSP (MOTSP), broadened occurrence of travelling salesman problem. Since TSP is NP-hard issue MOTSP is additionally a NP-hard issue. There are a lot of algorithms and methods to solve the MOTSP among which Multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition is appropriate to solve it nowadays. This work presents a new algorithm which combines the Data Perturbation, Self-Organizing Map (SOM) and MOEA/D to solve the problem of MOTSP, named Perturbed Self-Organizing multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm (P-SMEA). In P-SMEA Self-Organizing Map (SOM) is used extract neighborhood relationship information and with MOEA/D subproblems are generated and solved simultaneously to obtain the optimal solution. Data Perturbation is applied to avoid the local optima. So by using the P-SMEA, MOTSP can be handled efficiently. The experimental results show that P-SMEA outperforms MOEA/D and SMEA on a set of test instances

Twist1 Suppresses Senescence Programs and Thereby Accelerates and Maintains Mutant Kras-Induced Lung Tumorigenesis

KRAS mutant lung cancers are generally refractory to chemotherapy as well targeted agents. To date, the identification of drugs to therapeutically inhibit K-RAS have been unsuccessful, suggesting that other approaches are required. We demonstrate in both a novel transgenic mutant Kras lung cancer mouse model and in human lung tumors that the inhibition of Twist1 restores a senescence program inducing the loss of a neoplastic phenotype. The Twist1 gene encodes for a transcription factor that is essential during embryogenesis. Twist1 has been suggested to play an important role during tumor progression. However, there is no in vivo evidence that Twist1 plays a role in autochthonous tumorigenesis. Through two novel transgenic mouse models, we show that Twist1 cooperates with KrasG12D to markedly accelerate lung tumorigenesis by abrogating cellular senescence programs and promoting the progression from benign adenomas to adenocarcinomas. Moreover, the suppression of Twist1 to physiological levels is sufficient to cause Kras mutant lung tumors to undergo senescence and lose their neoplastic features. Finally, we analyzed more than 500 human tumors to demonstrate that TWIST1 is frequently overexpressed in primary human lung tumors. The suppression of TWIST1 in human lung cancer cells also induced cellular senescence. Hence, TWIST1 is a critical regulator of cellular senescence programs, and the suppression of TWIST1 in human tumors may be an effective example of pro-senescence therapy

The global, regional, and national burden of adult lip, oral, and pharyngeal cancer in 204 countries and territories:A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Importance Lip, oral, and pharyngeal cancers are important contributors to cancer burden worldwide, and a comprehensive evaluation of their burden globally, regionally, and nationally is crucial for effective policy planning.Objective To analyze the total and risk-attributable burden of lip and oral cavity cancer (LOC) and other pharyngeal cancer (OPC) for 204 countries and territories and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) using 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study estimates.Evidence Review The incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to LOC and OPC from 1990 to 2019 were estimated using GBD 2019 methods. The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate the proportion of deaths and DALYs for LOC and OPC attributable to smoking, tobacco, and alcohol consumption in 2019.Findings In 2019, 370 000 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 338 000-401 000) cases and 199 000 (95% UI, 181 000-217 000) deaths for LOC and 167 000 (95% UI, 153 000-180 000) cases and 114 000 (95% UI, 103 000-126 000) deaths for OPC were estimated to occur globally, contributing 5.5 million (95% UI, 5.0-6.0 million) and 3.2 million (95% UI, 2.9-3.6 million) DALYs, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, low-middle and low SDI regions consistently showed the highest age-standardized mortality rates due to LOC and OPC, while the high SDI strata exhibited age-standardized incidence rates decreasing for LOC and increasing for OPC. Globally in 2019, smoking had the greatest contribution to risk-attributable OPC deaths for both sexes (55.8% [95% UI, 49.2%-62.0%] of all OPC deaths in male individuals and 17.4% [95% UI, 13.8%-21.2%] of all OPC deaths in female individuals). Smoking and alcohol both contributed to substantial LOC deaths globally among male individuals (42.3% [95% UI, 35.2%-48.6%] and 40.2% [95% UI, 33.3%-46.8%] of all risk-attributable cancer deaths, respectively), while chewing tobacco contributed to the greatest attributable LOC deaths among female individuals (27.6% [95% UI, 21.5%-33.8%]), driven by high risk-attributable burden in South and Southeast Asia.Conclusions and Relevance In this systematic analysis, disparities in LOC and OPC burden existed across the SDI spectrum, and a considerable percentage of burden was attributable to tobacco and alcohol use. These estimates can contribute to an understanding of the distribution and disparities in LOC and OPC burden globally and support cancer control planning efforts

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using leaf extracts of Mentha arvensis Linn. and demonstration of their in vitro antibacterial activities

A study was carried out to synthesize silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) using plant extracts and to explore their pharmaceutical application as antibacterial agents. Dried leaves of Mentha arvensis Linn. were powdered and extracts were prepared using three different organic solvents. Preliminary screening on antibacterial activity by agar well diffusion method indicated that the methanolic extract possessed higher potential than the other two. Phytochemical analysis of the leaf extract revealed that it possesses tannins, steroids, terpenoids and flavonoids. Ag-NPs prepared using this extract were of spherical to cuboidal shape ranging in size from 40 to 70 nm. It retained essential chemical groups and had the required surface plasmon resonance. Further to the antimicrobial assay, the Ag-NPs, in contrast to the whole methanolic leaf extract, showed better (100% vs. 80%) bactericidal activity against the indicator organisms. The zones of growth inhibition for gram positive bacteria ranged between 14±0.6 and 23±0.3, while it was between 12±0.6 and 22±0.2 for gram negative bacteria. The Ag-NPs presented the minimum inhibitory concentration values of 250 µg/mL for gram positive bacteria and 250 - 500 µg/mL for gram negative bacteria. These findings suggest that the natural compounds present in M. arvensis L. possess the potency to facilitate the synthesis and antibacterial action of Ag-NPs

Facile Ruthenium(II)-Catalyzed α‑Alkylation of Arylmethyl Nitriles Using Alcohols Enabled by Metal–Ligand Cooperation

A facile ruthenium­(II)-catalyzed α-alkylation of arylmethyl nitriles using alcohols is reported. The ruthenium pincer catalyst serves as an efficient catalyst for this atom-economical transformation that undergoes alkylation via borrowing hydrogen pathways, producing water as the only byproduct. Arylmethyl nitriles containing different substituents can be effectively alkylated using diverse primary alcohols. Notably, using ethanol and methanol as alkylating reagents, challenging ethylation and methylation of arylmethyl nitriles were performed. Secondary alcohols do not undergo alkylation reactions. Thus, phenylacetonitrile was chemoselectively alkylated using primary alcohols in the presence of secondary alcohols. Diols provided a mixture of products. When deuterium-labeled alcohol was used, the expected deuterium transposition occurred, providing both α-alkylation and α-deuteration of arylmethyl nitriles. Consumption of nitrile was monitored by GC, which indicated the involvement of first-order kinetics. Plausible mechanistic pathways are suggested on the basis of experimental evidence. The ruthenium catalyst reacts with base and generates an unsaturated intermediate, which further reacts with both nitriles and alcohols. While nitrile is transformed to enamine via [2 + 2] cycloaddition, alcohol is oxidized to aldehyde. The metal bound enamine adduct reacts with aldehyde via Michael addition, resulting in an ene-imine adduct, which perhaps undergoes direct hydrogenation by a Ru dihydride intermediate, produced from alcohol oxidation. However, in situ monitoring of the reaction mixture confirmed the presence of unsaturated vinyl nitrile in the reaction mixture in minor amounts (10%), indicating the possible dissociation of ene-imine adduct during the catalysis, which may further be hydrogenated to provide the α-alkylated nitriles. Overall, the efficient α-alkylation of nitriles using alcohols can be attributed to the amine-amide metal–ligand cooperation that is operative in the ruthenium pincer catalyst, which enables all of the catalytic intermediates to remain in the +2 oxidation state throughout the catalytic cycle

Ruthenium-Catalyzed α‑Olefination of Nitriles Using Secondary Alcohols

Ruthenium­(II) pincer-catalyzed α-olefination of nitriles is reported. This simple protocol provides a transformation for the catalytic synthesis of β-disubstituted vinyl nitriles using secondary alcohols. This catalytic method has an extensive substrate scope, as arylmethyl nitriles, heteroarylmethyl nitriles, and aliphatic nitriles as well as cyclic, acyclic, symmetrical, and unsymmetrical secondary alcohols are all employed in the reaction to provide diverse α-vinyl nitriles. CC bond formation proceeds through activation of the O–H bond of secondary alcohols via an unsaturated 16-electron intermediate ruthenium pincer complex and further condensation of in situ-formed ketones with nitriles. Remarkably, H₂ and H₂O are the only byproducts of this method

NOx-smoke trade-off characteristics of minor vegetable oil blends synergy with oxygenate in a commercial CI engine

International audienceThe present study investigates the effect of blending oxygenate namely diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (diglyme) with minor vegetable oil namely rubber seed oil (RSO), babassu oil (BSO), and their blends in various proportions (R75B25, R50B50, and R25B75) on NOx-smoke trade-off and other engine characteristics. The tests were conducted on a commercial twin cylinder compression–ignition (CI) engine commonly used in tractors. The potential of the blends with diglyme is assessed based on performance, emission, and combustion characteristics of the engine at different load conditions. The tests were conducted at a constant speed of 1500 rpm maintaining the original injection timing and pressure. Compared to diesel, RSO, and BSO, and their blends exhibited inferior combustion due to poor physical properties like high viscosity and density. This resulted in a lower brake thermal efficiency with increase in HC, CO, and smoke emissions compared to diesel at all the load conditions. The augmented effect is observed with increase in BSO proportion for the blends and neat BSO. The poor combustion of minor vegetable oil and its blends lead to lower NOx emission as a result of lower in-cylinder temperature. To improve the performance and NOx-smoke trade-off, diglyme (DGM) was added with all the test fuels with the optimum share of 20% (by volume). Addition of DGM, increased brake thermal efficiency by 2–7% for all the test fuels due to improved combustion as a result of additional fuel bound oxygen in DGM and improved fuel blend properties. DGM addition reduced smoke, HC, and CO emission drastically with a slight increase in NOx emission compared to minor vegetable oil blends. The study shows that addition of DGM showed a promising note in NOx-smoke trade-off without affecting the other engine parameters