Effect of gauge length on loop strength of sewing threads

Seam strength prediction using loop strength has been found to be more accurate and has been consistently used by researchers over last few decades. But the testing gauge length for loop strength has not been standardized as in the case of thread tensile strength. In this paper, effect of gauge length on thread tensile strength and elongation in loop form and straight form has been studied. 40 tex and 60 tex mercerized cotton and spun polyester threads are used for the study. It is observed that there is no significant change in the loop strength of the threads as the gauge length increases, whereas the tensile strength of all threads decreases with the increase in gauge length. Elongation % is found to change significantly in both loop and straight form during tensile testing. Therefore, it is concluded that loop strength tests can be carried out at any gauge length unlike tensile testing of straight threads.     

Coefficient of friction and oil flow in plain finite partial journal bearings during turbulent operation

Bearings which have been properly designed with respect to the provision of a hydrodynamic oil film can sometimes fail by overheating. Hence the complete analysis of journal bearings requires the evaluation of friction and oil flow. Plain partial journal bearings of finite length with a turbulent hydrodynamic film of a newtonian lubricant were analysed to obtain the coefficient of friction and the total oil flow. The coefficient of friction, which is a performance characteristic, is presented analytically in the closed form. The total oil flow through superlaminar bearings is also considered as a bearing performance characteristic. All the results of interest are dimensionless and available in a closed form which is simple yet exact over the wide range of parameters involved.     

Uniplanar Y and L shaped ACS fed multiband and wideband compact printed antenna for advanced wireless communication systems

Microsystem Technologies - In this paper, a very small size (14 × 20 mm2), tunable printed antenna consisting of Asymmetric Coplanar Strip (ACS) feedline with three...     

AI-driven streamlined modeling: experiences and lessons learned from multiple domains

Software and Systems Modeling - Model-driven technologies (MD*), considered beneficial through abstraction and automation, have not enjoyed widespread adoption in the industry. In keeping with the...     

Co-Extraction — Selective stripping for the recovery of nickel and copper from the leach liquor of ocean nodules

Ferromanganese deep sea nodules of the Indian Ocean have recently been recognised as a potential source of metals like copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese. For the treatment of the sea nodules following the reduction roast-ammonia leach process, the leach liquor containing copper, nickel and cobalt was processed to separate and recover these metals by solvent extraction (SX) using 25% LIX 64N in kerosene. Almost quantitative extraction of copper and nickel was realized in a continuous run. During nickel stripping, the small amount of copper in the nickel solution was removed by incorporating a copper extraction step using 10% LIX 64N in kerosene. The purified pregnant nickel electrolyte was electrowon in a non-diaphragm cell. Copper was similarly recovered by electrowinning (EW). A closed circuit of SX-EW was run to produce cathodes of nickel and copper with energy consumptions of 3.85 and 2.01 kWh/kg for the respective metals.     

TAP study of NOx storage and reduction on Pt/Al2O3 and Pt/Ba/Al2O3

A systematic mechanistic study of NO storage and reduction over Pt/Al₂O₃ and Pt/BaO/Al₂O₃ is carried out using Temporal Analysis of Products (TAP). NO pulse and NO/H₂ pump-probe experiments at 350 °C on pre-reduced, pre-oxidized, and pre-nitrated catalysts reveal the complex interplay between storage and reduction chemistries and the importance of the Pt/Ba coupling. NO pulsing experiments on both catalysts show that NO decomposes to major product N₂ on clean Pt but the rate declines as oxygen accumulates on the Pt. The storage of NO over Pt/BaO/Al₂O₃ is an order of magnitude higher than on Pt/Al₂O₃ showing participation of Ba in the storage even in the absence of gas phase O₂. Either oxygen spillover or transient NO oxidation to NO₂ is postulated as the first steps for NO storage on Pt/BaO/Al₂O₃. The storage on Pt/Ba/Al₂O₃ commences as soon as Pt–O species are formed. Post-storage H₂ reduction provides evidence that a fraction of NO is not stored in close proximity to Pt and is more difficult to reduce. A closely coupled Pt/Ba interfacial process is corroborated by NO/H₂ pump-probe experiments. NO conversion to N₂ by decomposition is sustained on clean Pt using excess H₂ pump-probe feeds. With excess NO pump-probe feeds NO is converted to N₂ and N₂O via the sequence of barium nitrate and NO decomposition. Pump-probe experiments with pre-oxidized or pre-nitrated catalyst show that N₂ production occurs by the decomposition of NO supplied in a NO pulse or from the decomposition of NOx stored on the Ba. The transient evolution of the two pathways depends on the extent of pre-nitration and the NO/H₂ feed ratio.     

Development of Bigels Based on Stearic Acid–Rice Bran Oil Oleogels and Tamarind Gum Hydrogels for Controlled Delivery Applications

In the last few decades, different types of gels have been widely studied as potential drug delivery carriers. In this paper, we propose the synthesis of an oleogel, a tamarind gum hydrogel, and bigels for applications as drug delivery matrices. The oleogel was prepared by mixing stearic acid and rice bran oil, whereas the hydrogel was prepared by mixing tamarind gum with a hydroethanolic solution. Hydrogel‐in‐oleogel and oleogel‐in‐hydrogel bigels were prepared by mixing the hydrogel and the oleogel. The suitability of the formulations for controlled drug release applications was thoroughly examined using microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, as well as mechanical, electrical, thermal, drug release, and antimicrobial studies. An alteration in the microarchitecture of the bigels is observed when the oleogel and the hydrogel are mixed in varying proportions. The associative interactions within the formulations increase with the increase in the hydrogel content. The bigels exhibit the presence of stearic acid melting endotherm (associated with the oleogel) and water evaporation endotherm (associated with the hydrogel). This study suggests that the hydrogel has lowest bulk resistance compared to the other formulations. The structural breakdown of the bigels is composition‐dependent, and the bulk electrical resistance is mainly governed by the oleogel phase. An increase in the diffusion of the moxifloxacin HCl from the formulations is observed with the increase of the hydrogel proportion, which in turn increases the rate of release of the drug. The proposed formulations also exhibit good antimicrobial efficacy. The analysis of these properties suggests that specific formulations can be tailored by need‐based applications of the drug release rate.     

Hybrid Resource Allocation Scheme in Multi-hop Device-to-Device Communication for 5G Networks

Wireless Personal Communications - The 5G communication paradigm provides architecture of coexistence of device-to-device (D2D) communication with the current cellular communication. Direct D2D...     

Hierarchical growth of BiOCl on SrO‐Bi2O3‐B2O3 glass‐ceramics for self‐cleaning applications

We have grown hierarchical structure of bismuth oxycloride (BiOCl) on SrO‐Bi₂O₃‐B₂O₃ (SBBO) transparent glass‐ceramic. SBBO glass‐ceramics were fabricated via conventional melt‐quenching technique while BiOCl was grown by etching the glass via HCl. Enhanced visible light driven photocatalytic activity and increasing hydrophobic feature were observed on BiOCl grown SBBO than as‐quenched SBBO glass‐ceramics. Contact angle analysis showed maximum contact angle of 130.7° on the surface of most BiOCl grown SBBO glass‐ceramic. Furthermore, under visible light illumination water contact angle decreased from 130.7° to 30.8°. Such photo‐induced hydrophilicity and catalytic performance in translucent glass‐ceramics lead self‐cleaning applications.     

Reversible end-to-end assembly of gold nanorods using a disulfide-modified polypeptide

Directing the self-assembly of colloidal particles into nanostructures is of great interest in nanotechnology. Here, reversible end-to-end assembly of gold nanorods (GNR) is induced by pH-dependent changes in the secondary conformation of a disulfide-modified poly(L-glutamic acid) (SSPLGA). The disulfide anchoring group drives chemisorption of the polyacid onto the end of the gold nanorods in an ethanolic solution. A layer of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) is adsorbed on the positively charged, surfactant-stabilized GNR to screen the surfactant bilayer charge and provide stability for dispersion of the GNR in ethanol. For comparison, irreversible end-to-end assembly using a bidentate ligand, namely 1,6-hexanedithiol, is also performed. Characterization of the modified GNR and its end-to-end linking behavior using SSPLGA and hexanedithiol is performed using dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Experimental results show that, in a colloidal solution of GNR-SSPLGA at a pH～3.5, where the PLGA is in an α-helical conformation, the modified GNR self-assemble into one-dimensional nanostructures. The linking behavior can be reversed by increasing the pH (>8.5) to drive the conformation of the polypeptide to a random coil and this reversal with pH occurs rapidly within minutes. Cycling the pH multiple times between low and high pH values can be used to drive the formation of the nanostructures of the GNR and disperse them in solution.