A circuit-level methodology for leakage power reduction of high-efficient compressors in 22-nm CMOS technology

Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing - A new circuit-level methodology called input controlled leakage restrainer transistor (ICLRT) compatible with single threshold CMOS technology is...     

Characterization,in vitro bioactivity and biological studies of sol-gel-derived TiO2 substituted 58S bioactive glass

Bioactive glasses (BGs) have been used for bone formation and bone repair processes in recent years. This study investigated the titanium substitution effect on 58S BGs (Ti-BGs) 60SiO₂-(36 − X)CaO-4P₂O₅-XTiO₂ (X = 0, 3, and 5 mol.%) prepared by the sol-gel technique, and the main goal was to find the optimum amount of titanium in Ti-BGs. Synthesized BGs, which were investigated after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF), were tested by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity, 3-(4,5dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and antibacterial studies were employed to investigate the biological properties of Ti-BGs. According to the FTIR and XRD test results, hydroxyapatite (HA) formation on Ti-BGs surfaces was confirmed. Meanwhile, the presence of 5 mol.% compared to 3 mol.% increased the HA grain distribution and their size on the Ti-BGs surface. Additionally, MTT and ALP results confirmed that the optimal amount of titanium substitution in BG was 5 mol.%. Since 5 mol.% Ti incorporated BG (BG-5) had the highest biocompatibility level, antibacterial properties, maximum cell proliferation, and ALP activity among the synthesized Ti-BGs, it is presented as the best candidate for further in vivo investigations.     

Toward a better understanding of multifunctional cement-based materials: The impact of graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs)

The impact of graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) on the physical and mechanical properties of cementitious nanocomposites was investigated. A market-available premixed mortar was modified with 0.01% by weight of cement of commercial GNPs characterized by two distinctively different aspect ratios.The rheological behavior of the GNP-modified fresh admixtures was thoroughly evaluated. Hardened cementitious nanocomposites were investigated in terms of density, microstructure (Scanning Electron Microscopy, SEM and micro–Computed Tomography, μ-CT), mechanical properties (three-point bending and compression tests), and physical properties (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, EIS and thermal conductivity measurements). At 28 days, all GNP-modified mortars showed about 12% increased density. Mortars reinforced with high aspect ratio GNPs exhibited the highest compressive and flexural strength: about 14% and 4% improvements compared to control sample, respectively. Conversely, low aspect ratio GNPs led to cementitious nanocomposites characterized by 36% decreased electrical resistivity combined with 60% increased thermal conductivity with respect to the control sample.     

Migration analysis,antioxidant, and mechanical characterization of polypropylene-based active food packaging films loaded with BHA,BHT, and TBHQ

Polypropylene (PP) based active composite films were prepared by adding butylated hydroxy anisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and tertiary butylated hydroquinone (TBHQ) antioxidants using the extrusion molding process. All concentrations of BHT, 2% to 3% BHA, and 3% TBHQ significantly increased the tensile strength (TS) of the composite films compared with control films. Increasing antioxidant concentration decreased TS values for BHT films, whereas an opposite trend was observed for BHA and TBHQ films. BHA at < 2%, BHT at > 2%, and TBHQ at all added concentrations significantly reduced elongation at break (E_b) of the composite films compared to control films. Water vapor permeability (WVP) of 1% BHT film was not significantly different from control. However, other antioxidants especially at increased concentrations significantly increased WVP values. TBHQ films with 300% to 662% increase had the highest WVP and BHT films with 5% to 81% increase had the lowest WVP among composite films. All three antioxidants had a negative effect on the transparency of the films; however the effect of BHA at higher concentrations was greater. The antioxidants did not change the color attributes of the films. Films containing all antioxidants showed 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activity, which increased with increase in their concentration, especially for those containing 3 wt.% BHT and TBHQ. Overall, incorporating BHA and BHT into a PP matrix improved mechanical, barrier, antioxidant properties, and film appearance and consequently were proposed for the development of antioxidant active PP films. TBHQ film is not recommended for food packaging because of its weak mechanical properties (lower E_b and TS values, higher WVP, and greater migration).     

Effect of ultrasonication treatment and fermentation by probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum strains on goat milk bioactivities

In the present research, the effects of continuous ultrasound treatment (100 W, 30 kHz; 0%, 30%, 60% and 90% amplitudes, 15 min) and fermentation process (37°C, 24 h) on the growth of Lactobacillus plantarum LP3 and LU5 strains and bioactive properties (peptide content, α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition, anticancer and antioxidant activities and exopolysaccharide content) of goat milk were investigated. According to our results, the ultrasonication of milk up to 60% amplitude promoted the growth of Lactobacillus strains and enhanced the bioactive properties compared with control during fermentation, while, the ultrasonication at 90% amplitude had negative effects on the mentioned parameters. Exopolysaccharide content, α-amylase inhibition, α-glucosidase inhibition, antioxidant activity and anticancer activity of treated samples at 60% amplitude at the end of fermentation in comparison to its beginning were increased 18.09, 12.79, 12.44, 9.4 and 1.92 folds, respectively. Also, the increase of assayed characteristics was found strain-dependent, so that L. plantarum LP3 was more effective than LU5 strain.     

A comparative study of landslide susceptibility maps produced using support vector machine with different kernel functions and entropy data mining models in China

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - The main objective of the current study is to apply a random forest (RF) data-driven model and prioritization of landslide conditioning factors...     

Numerical evaluation and the effects of geometrical and operational parameters on thermal performance of the shell and double coil tube heat exchanger

Heat exchangers are extensively used in various industries. In this study, the impact of geometric and flow parameters on the performance of a shell and double helical coil heat exchanger is studied numerically. The investigated geometric parameters include external coil pitch, internal coil pitch, internal coil diameter, and coil diameter. The influences of considered geometrical parameters are analyzed on the output temperature of the hot and cold fluid, convective heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop, and average Nusselt number. Water is considered as working fluid in both shell and tube. As an innovation, double helical coils are used instead of one in the heat exchanger. To compare the obtained results accurately, in each section, the heat transfer area (coil outer surface) is kept constant in all models. The results show that the geometrical parameters of double helical coils significantly affect the heat transfer rate.     

Investigating the wicking behavior of micro/nanofibrous core-sheath PET–PAN yarn modified by dimethyl 5-sodium sulfoisophthalate

The present research aims at imparting an improved wicking ability to the recycled multifilament yarns by wrapping composite nanofibers to attain an efficient material for filtration purposes. Therefore, polyacrylonitrile nanofibers containing dimethyl 5-sodium sulfoisophthalate nanoparticles were wrapped around the recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) yarn by means of a novel electrospinning technique. Several tests were performed to investigate the parameters affecting wicking rise and moisture regain of the samples. Taguchi method was used in two separate designs (with or without nanoparticles). Some factors such as polymer solution concentration, mass ratio of nanoparticles, take-up rate, and number of filaments were considered as the variable factors while yarn wicking rate and moisture regain were the response factors. It was found that the hydrophilic nature of nanoparticles together with the ultrafine structure of nanofibers provide yarns with enhanced wicking properties. Although solution concentration is the predominant factor in wicking rate of the yarns containing nanoparticles, the most effective factor in wicking rise and moisture regain for other cases is the number of filaments. The mechanism of nanoparticle effect on fluidic jet during electrospinning process is explained by theory of nanofluids stability which has never been validated experimentally in previous research studies. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48185.     

Production of calcium nitrate crystals via membrane distillation crystallization using polyvinylidene fluoride/sorbitan trioleate membranes

As an alternative to the energy-intensive evaporation-crystallization method, membrane distillation crystallization (MDC) was applied for the first time to obtain calcium nitrate crystals from its aqueous solution. Calcium nitrate solution was obtained through the reaction between calcium carbonate and nitric acid, and then it was concentrated in the membrane distillation (MD) process and further crystallized. The MD step was conducted using hydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/sorbitan trioleate (Span 85) membranes. Span 85 was incorporated into the membrane structure in various concentrations to improve the hydrophobicity of membranes, and the resultant membranes were characterized via different methods. In addition, the resultant calcium nitrate crystals were characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy. The MDC results showed that the optimum amount of Span 85 in the polymeric solution was 4%, which led to the formation of a membrane with higher porosity (67.2%) and water contact angle (95.7°) compared to the neat PVDF membrane. The mentioned membrane exhibited the highest water flux in the MD process compared to the other membranes, and also it produced the highest amount of crystals due to its remarkably better performance in the MD step in terms of feed concentration.     

The effect of rice bran on physicochemical,textural and glycaemic properties of ready-to-eat extruded corn snacks

In this work, corn extruded snack products were enriched with rice bran (RB) at 10% and 15%. A co-rotating twin-screw extruder was used with a feed moisture content of 16 g 100 g⁻¹, a screw speed of 240 r.p.m. and four heating sections of the barrel (100, 140, 150 and 150 °C). The impact of RB inclusion on nutritional profile, starch digestion, physicochemical and textural properties of snack products was evaluated. RB-enriched extrudates showed a lower specific volume and hardness and higher crispness than control. RB at 15% gave a water-holding capacity lower than control. Rheology of extrudate dispersions indicated an increase in elastic interactions and solid-like behaviour with RB supplementation. Differences in rheological properties resulted in attenuation of predictive glycaemic response for RB-enriched snacks.