Switching Transient Analysis and Characterization of an E-Mode B-Doped GaN-Capped AlGaN DH-HEMT with a Freewheeling Schottky Barrier Diode (SBD)

Journal of Electronic Materials - This paper presents a systematic study of Al0.23Ga0.77N/GaN/AlxGa1?xN double-heterojunction high-electron-mobility transistors (DH-HEMTs) with a boron-doped...     

Environmental effects of adding aluminum oxide nano-additives on diesel engine fueled with pyrolyzed biomass oil–​diesel blends

The present study focuses on the investigation of environmental effects of adding aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) nanoparticles as nano-additive in diesel-pyrolyzed biomass oil (PBO) blends. The PBO was extracted from jatropha seeds through the catalytic pyrolysis process at a temperature ranging from 450°C to 550°C. The esterification of PBO has been carried out using a catalyst in the presence of methyl alcohol to improve its physical properties and quality. The Al₂O₃ nano-additives were dispersed into PBO20 (20% of PBO and 80% of diesel) and PBO40 (40% of PBO and 60% of diesel) blends with a concentration of 50 ppm. The physical properties of test fuel blends were measured and compared with diesel. The engine emission tests were carried out using these blends at a constant speed of 1500 rpm by varying the load. The emission constituents such as CO, HC, and smoke were reduced. However, the emissions like CO₂ and NO were increased by the addition of nano-additives compared to diesel.     

HPA immobilized on the functionalized Ti-MCM-41 nanochannels for photocatalytic degradation of ternary azo dye effluents

Solid-state heteropolytungstic acid (HPA) clusters were covalently linked into amino and mercapto functionalized Ti-MCM-41 nanoporous channel by in situ synthesis processes to effectively use as a recyclable photocatalyst for degradation of ternary azo dyes consisting of methyl orange (MeOr), acid orange 10 (AO-10) and acid red 88 (AR88) before and after dying processes. The structure and morphology of as synthesized nanoporous hybrid catalyst (HPA immobilized mercapto and amino functionalized Ti-MCM41) was characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared analysis (FT-IR), Phosphorus-31 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (³¹P-NMR) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, N₂ adsorption studies, diffused reflectance studies (DRS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) measurements. The immobilization of HPA on functionalized Ti-MCM-41 acts as coupled semiconductor with higher specific area and superior active sites for photocatalytic degradation of ternary azo dyes. The hybrid catalyst was found to be very stable and did not lose it activity even after performing three consecutive irradiation experiments with azo dye mixtures; hence it may be reusable for further degradation of dye mixtures.     

Proofing Direct-Seeded Rice with Better Root Plasticity and Architecture

The underground reserve (root) has been an uncharted research territory with its untapped genetic variation yet to be exploited. Identifying ideal traits and breeding new rice varieties with efficient root system architecture (RSA) has great potential to increase resource-use efficiency and grain yield, especially under direct-seeded rice, by adapting to aerobic soil conditions. In this review, we tried to mine the available research information on the direct-seeded rice (DSR) root system to highlight the requirements of different root traits such as root architecture, length, number, density, thickness, diameter, and angle that play a pivotal role in determining the uptake of nutrients and moisture at different stages of plant growth. RSA also faces several stresses, due to excess or deficiency of moisture and nutrients, low or high temperature, or saline conditions. To counteract these hindrances, adaptation in response to stress becomes essential. Candidate genes such as early root growth enhancer PSTOL1, surface rooting QTL qSOR1, deep rooting gene DRO1, and numerous transporters for their respective nutrients and stress-responsive factors have been identified and validated under different circumstances. Identifying the desired QTLs and transporters underlying these traits and then designing an ideal root architecture can help in developing a suitable DSR cultivar and aid in further advancement in this direction.     

Effective Degradation of Fipronil Using Combined Catalytic Ozonation Processes

Effective removal of Fipronil, an agricultural pollutant, was studied here by coupling heterogeneous catalyst (Degussa P-25 TiO₂ nanopowder) with molecular ozone. Compared to molecular ozone alone (74%), enhanced activity (89%) was noted with a coupled TiO₂/O₃ system at 40 min, which is due to the generation of active superoxide ion species by surface adsorption and reaction of TiO₂ with the molecular ozone. The catalytic activity quantification was followed by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry.     

Effect of cycling on the magnetization of ion exchanged magnetic nanocomposite based on polystyrene

Magnetic nanocomposites containing iron oxide particles embedded in a polymer matrix have been synthesized using the method of ion exchange. They have been characterized by using low temperature and room temperature magnetic measurements and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The iron content in these samples has also been determined. The results have been analysed and explained. The physical and chemical properties of these nanocomposite materials are different from those of the bulk. Some of the unique properties of these materials find application in information storage, color imaging, ferrofluids and magnetic refrigeration.     

Synthesis of Fe/ZnO composite nanocatalyst and its sonophotocatalytic activity on acid yellow 23 dye and real textile effluent

Nanocatalysts such as ZnO, Fe and Fe/ZnO composite were synthesized for better treatment of dye than the conventional treatment methods. The catalysts were characterized using SEM, EDAX, BET surface area, XRD and DRS. The degradation of acid yellow 23 dye in aqueous solution has been investigated using sonolysis, photolysis and sonophotocatalysis. The effect of different conventional operating parameters such as initial solution pH, gas purging (Argon, Oxygen, Air and Nitrogen) and H₂O₂ addition, under sonolysis (13 and 25 mm probe tip diameter) and photolysis (UV light), showed a maximum of 41 % colour removal for 0.0187 mmol/L dye solution under photolysis with 88.2 mmol/L H₂O₂ addition. Among the catalysts used, 98 % dye colour removal was obtained with 0.2 g/L Fe/ZnO composite under 60 min of sonophotolysis that had been benefitted by the synergistic effects. The HPLC spectrum of the untreated dye and treated dye supports the claim of eradication of the parent dye compound. Sonophotocatalytic treatment of real textile effluent in the presence of 6 g/L Fe/ZnO composite and 264.6 mmol/L H₂O₂ reduced the COD level from 792 to 174.4 mg/L in 240 min to meet the allowable effluent discharge standard into running water streams. The studied treatment methods were found to be effective for the degradation of acid yellow 23 dye and subsequently in real textile effluent too.     

Structural,optical and magnetic properties of Ba and Ni doped CdS thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis method

Pure, Barium and Nickel doped cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin films have been coated on glass substrates at 400?°C by spray pyrolysis technique. The prepared CdS and doped CdS thin films were analysed by various measurements such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM, optical and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). X-ray diffraction measurements show that the coated pure, Ba and Ni-doped CdS thin films belong to the cubic crystal structure with orientation preferentially along (111) direction. The average crystallite size of pure, Ba and Ni doped CdS thin films were determined as 31, 33 and 45 nm, respectively. The average dislocation density (δ) and stacking fault (SF) of pure, Ba and Ni doped CdS thin films were also determined. The surface morphology and elemental analysis of the thin films were determined by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (SEM with EDAX). It is observed that the optical energy bandgap has been decreased from 2.43 to 2.1 eV due to the doping Ba. The luminescence spectrum shows a strong emission peak at 517 nm in the case of pure CdS thin film and a meager red shift has been observed due to the doping. VSM studies were employed to study the magnetic behaviour of Ba and Ni doped CdS thin films.     

A unified approach to moving object detection in 2D and 3D scenes

The detection of moving objects is important in many tasks. Previous approaches to this problem can be broadly divided into two classes: 2D algorithms which apply when the scene can be approximated by a flat surface and/or when the camera is only undergoing rotations and zooms, and 3D algorithms which work well only when significant depth variations are present in the scene and the camera is translating. We describe a unified approach to handling moving object detection in both 2D and 3D scenes, with a strategy to gracefully bridge the gap between those two extremes. Our approach is based on a stratification of the moving object detection problem into scenarios which gradually increase in their complexity. We present a set of techniques that match the above stratification. These techniques progressively increase in their complexity, ranging from 2D techniques to more complex 3D techniques. Moreover, the computations required for the solution to the problem at one complexity level become the initial processing step for the solution at the next complexity level. We illustrate these techniques using examples from real-image sequences