A novel smart framework for optimal design of green roofs in buildings conforming with energy conservation and thermal comfort

The rise in greenhouse gas emissions in cities and the excessive consumption of fossil energy resources has made the development of green spaces, such as green roofs, an increasingly important focus in urban areas. This study proposes a novel smart energy-comfort system for green roofs in housing estates that utilises integrated machine learning (ML), DesignBuilder (DB) software and Taguchi design computations for optimising green roof design and operation in buildings. The optimisation process maximises energy conservation and thermal comfort of the green roof buildings for effective parameters of green roofs including Leaf Area Index (P1), leaf reflectivity (P2), leaf emissivity (P3), and stomatal resistance (P4). The optimal solutions can result in a 12.8% increase in comfort hours and a 14% reduction in energy consumption compared to the base case. The ML analysis revealed that the adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system is the most appropriate method for predicting Energy-Comfort functions based on effective parameters, with a correlation coefficient greater than 97%. This novel smart framework for the optimal design of green roofs in buildings offers an innovative approach to achieving energy conservation and thermal comfort in urban areas

A novel AI-based approach for modelling the fate, transportation and prediction of chromium in rivers and agricultural crops: A case study in Iran

Chromium (Cr) pollution caused by the discharge of industrial wastewater into rivers poses a significant threat to the environment, aquatic and human life, as well as agricultural crops irrigated by these rivers. This paper employs artificial intelligence (AI) to introduce a new framework for modeling the fate, transport, and estimation of Cr from its point of discharge into the river until it is absorbed by agricultural products. The framework is demonstrated through its application to the case study River, which serves as the primary water resource for tomato production irrigation in Mashhad city, Iran. Measurements of Cr concentration are taken at three different river depths and in tomato leaves from agricultural lands irrigated by the river, allowing for the identification of bioaccumulation effects. By employing boundary conditions and smart algorithms, various aspects of control systems are evaluated. The concentration of Cr in crops exhibits an accumulative trend, reaching up to 1.29 µg/g by the time of harvest. Using data collected from the case study and exploring different scenarios, AI models are developed to estimate the Cr concentration in tomato leaves. The tested AI models include linear regression (LR), neural network (NN) classifier, and NN regressor, yielding goodness-of-fit values (R2) of 0.931, 0.874, and 0.946, respectively. These results indicate that the NN regressor is the most accurate model, followed by the LR, for estimating Cr levels in tomato leaves

Chitosan/Gelatin/Silver Nanoparticles Composites Films for Biodegradable Food Packaging Applications.

The food packaging industry explores economically viable, environmentally benign, and non-toxic packaging materials. Biopolymers, including chitosan (CH) and gelatin (GE), are considered a leading replacement for plastic packaging materials, with preferred packaging functionality and biodegradability. CH, GE, and different proportions of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used to prepare novel packaging materials using a simple solution casting method. The functional and morphological characterization of the prepared films was carried out by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Visible spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical strength, solubility, water vapor transmission rate, swelling behavior, moisture retention capability, and biodegradability of composite films were evaluated. The addition of AgNPs to the polymer blend matrix improves the physicochemical and biological functioning of the matrix. Due to the cross-linking motion of AgNPs, it is found that the swelling degree, moisture retention capability, and water vapor transmission rate slightly decrease. The tensile strength of pure CH-GE films was 24.4 ± 0.03, and it increased to 25.8 ± 0.05 MPa upon the addition of 0.0075% of AgNPs. The real-time application of the films was tested by evaluating the shelf-life existence of carrot pieces covered with the composite films. The composite film containing AgNPs becomes effective in lowering bacterial contamination while comparing the plastic polyethylene films. In principle, the synthesized composite films possessed all the ideal characteristics of packaging material and were considered biodegradable and biocompatible food packaging material and an alternate option for petroleum-based plastics

Pd decorated Co-Ni nanowires as a highly efficient catalyst for direct ethanol fuel cells

The storage and conversion of energy necessitates the use of appropriate electrochemical systems and chemical reaction catalysts. This work presents newly developed catalysts for electrooxidation of ethanol in an alkaline medium. Nanocatalysts composed of Co–Ni nanowires (Co–Ni NWs) decorated with Pd nanoparticles (Pd NPs) were made at varying metal ratios and their chemical composition and structure was investigated in detail. The synthesis involved a wet chemical reduction assisted by a magnetic field, which led to the generation of NWs, followed by the deposition of spherical Pd NPs on their surface. The best catalytic activity was obtained for the catalyst made of Co3–Ni7 decorated with Pd NPs, which exhibited EOR of 8003 mA/mgPd for only 0.86 wt% of Pd loading. The results can be explained by the synergistic effect between the morphology of the bimetallic support and the favorable interaction of oxophilic Co, Ni with catalytic Pd

Synthesis, Characterization and Physicochemical Properties of Biogenic Silver Nanoparticle-Encapsulated Chitosan Bionanocomposites

Green bionanocomposites have garnered considerable attention and applications in the pharmaceutical and packaging industries because of their intrinsic features, such as biocompatibility and biodegradability. The work presents a novel approach towards the combined effect of glycerol, tween 80 and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the physicochemical properties of lyophilized chitosan (CH) scaffolds produced via a green synthesis method.The produced bionanocomposites were characterized with the help of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The swelling behavior, water vapor transmission rate, moisture retention capability, degradation in Hanks solution, biodegradability in soil, mechanical strength and electrochemical performance of the composites were evaluated. The addition of additives to the CH matrix alters the physicochemical and biological functioning of the matrix. Plasticized scaffolds showed an increase in swelling degree, water vapor transmission rate and degradability in Hank\u27s balanced solution compared to the blank chitosan scaffolds. The addition of tween 80 made the scaffolds more porous, and changes in physicochemical properties were observed. Green-synthesized AgNPs showed intensified antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Incorporating biogenic nanoparticles into the CH matrix enhances the polymer composites\u27 biochemical properties and increases the demand in the medical and biological sectors. These freeze-dried chitosan-AgNPs composite scaffolds had tremendous applications, especially in biomedical fields like wound dressing, tissue engineering, bone regeneration, etc

An intelligent decision support system for groundwater supply management and electromechanical infrastructure controls

This study presents an intelligent Decision Support System (DSS) aimed at bridging the theoretical-practical gap in groundwater management. The ongoing demand for sophisticated systems capable of interpreting extensive data to inform sustainable groundwater decision- making underscores the critical nature of this research. To meet this challenge, telemetry data from six randomly selected wells were used to establish a comprehensive database of groundwater pumping parameters, including flow rate, pressure, and current intensity. Statistical analysis of these parameters led to the determination of threshold values for critical factors such as water pressure and electrical current. Additionally, a soft sensor was developed using a Random Forest (RF) machine learning algorithm, enabling real-time forecasting of key variables. This was achieved by continuously comparing live telemetry data to pump design specifications and results from regular field testing. The proposed machine learning model ensures robust empirical monitoring of well and pump health. Furthermore, expert operational knowledge from water management professionals, gathered through a Classical Delphi (CD) technique, was seamlessly integrated. This collective expertise culminated in a data-driven framework for sustainable groundwater facilities monitoring. In conclusion, this innovative DSS not only addresses the theory-application gap but also leverages the power of data analytics and expert knowledge to provide high-precision online insights, thereby optimizing groundwater management practices

Facile Green Synthesis of Cinnamomum tamala Extract Capped Silver Nanoparticles and its Biological Applications

The plant mediated biogenic synthesis of nanoparticles is of magnificent concern due to its eco-benign and single pot nature. Here, Cinnamomum tamala (C. tamala) aqueous leaf extract was utilised for the silver nanoparticles’ (Ag NPs) synthesis. The phytoconstituents in the leaf extract were analysed by standard methods. These metabolites, especially carbohydrate polymers reduce Ag ions to Ag NPs accompanied by a reddish-brown coloration of the reaction mixture. The visual observation of intense brown colour is the first indication of the formation of Ag NPs. Various spectro-analytical techniques further characterise the Ag NPs. The green synthesised spherical Ag NPs were crystalline with an average size of 38 nm. The Ag NPs were scrutinised for antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity and obtained good results. The free radical scavenging was studied by 2, 2-Diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The antibacterial activity of Ag NPs was assessed against human pathogens, and it shown to have good antibacterial potency against a wide spectrum of bacteria. The cytotoxic activity against HEK-293T (human embryonic kidney) cell line was evaluated by 2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) assay. These potent biological activities enable C. tamala capped Ag NPs to be suitable candidates for the future applications in various fields, predominantly clinical and biomedical