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•MgO nanoparticles blended test fuels showed improved CFPP & PP.•The addition of MgO nanoparticles did not change other fuel property significantly.•BP, BSFC and BTE of B100W30A, ...B20W30A and B10W30A were higher than B100, B20 and B10.•MgO blended test fuels emitted less CO, HC, NOx but more CO2.•Combustion of MgO nanoparticles blended biodiesel was better.
Commercialization and effective use of biodiesel is still unattained due to its poor cold storage property. Biodiesel produced from waste cooking oil (WCO) using methanol was blended with 0%, 80% and 90% petroleum-based diesel (PBD) fuel and 20 ppm, 30 ppm, 40 ppm and 50 ppm of magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles. The test fuels quality was found to be within limits of the ASTM standards. 30 ppm concentration of MgO nanoparticles showed improvement in cloud point (CP), cold filter plugging point (CFPP) and pour point (PP) of the test fuels. The results showed that the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) of B100W30A, B20W30A and B10W30A fuels were 28.2%, 9.48%, and 2.45% higher than the B100, B20 and B10 fuel respectively. PBD showed lower BSFC but higher brake power (BP) and brake thermal efficiency (BTE) when compared to the other test fuels. The BTE and BP of the B100W30A, B20W30A and B10W30A fuels were 4.57% and 1.17% on an average higher than those of B100, B20 and B10 respectively. In general, MgO nanoparticles blended fuel released relatively lesser emissions than B100, B20, B10 and PBD. Combustion analysis of nanoparticles blended fuel was better than other test fuels and comparable with PBD.
With the COVID-19 pandemic surging, the demand for masks is challenging, especially in less-developed areas across the world. Billions of used masks are threatening the environment as a new source of ...plastic pollution. In this paper, corona discharge (CD) was explored as a safe and reliable method for mask reuse to alleviate the situation. CD can disinfect masks and simultaneously restore electrostatic charges to prevent filtration efficiency deterioration. Electric field, ions, and reactive species generated by CD cause DNA damage and protein denaturation to effectively disinfect N95 respirators. Log reduction of 2–3 against Escherichia coli can be easily reached within 7.5 min. Log reduction of up to 6 can be reached after three cycles of treatment with optimized parameters. CD disinfection is a broad spectrum with log reduction >1 against yeast and >2.5 against spores. N95 respirators can be recharged within 30 s of treatment and the charges can be retained at a higher level than brand-new masks for at least 5 days. The filtration efficiency of masks was maintained at ∼95% after 15 cycles of treatment. CD can provide at least 10 cycles of safe reuse with benefits of high safety, affordability, accessibility, and device scalability/portability.
Transition metal dichalcogenide MoS
2
nanoparticles have been synthesized by an inexpensive slow evaporation method. The X-ray diffractogram (XRD) showed that the grown particles are in crystalline ...nature with mixed phase. The calculated average particle size of the prepared nanoparticles is 56 nm. The Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) and Raman studies confirm the particles are bulk MoS
2
in nature. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) images confirm the porosity and the presence of Mo and S elements. Photocatalytic activity of the prepared nanoparticles is tested against methylene blue (MB), and malachite green (MG) dyes and the efficiencies are found to be 93.68% and 85.33%, respectively. The degradation rate constant of MoS
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nanoparticles against MB and MG dyes are 0.0199, 0.01389 min
−1
, respectively, under visible light for 75 min irradiation. A density functional theory calculation has been performed to validate the photocatalytic experimental results based on bandgap, band edge potentials, and effective mass. The DFT results are related to the experimental values, and the discussions are presented.
In 2019, U.S. pharmaceutical companies paid $3.6 billion to physicians in the form of gifts to promote their drugs. To curb inappropriate financial relationships between health care providers and ...firms, several state laws require firms to publicly declare the payments they make to physicians. In 2013, this disclosure law was rolled out to all 50 states. The authors investigate the causal impact of this increased transparency on subsequent payments between firms and physicians. While firms and physicians were informed of the disclosure regulation at data collection, complete transparency did not occur until the data were published online. The authors estimate the heterogeneous treatment effects of the online data disclosure exploiting the phased rollout of the disclosure laws across states, facilitated by recent advances in machine learning methods. Using a 29-month national panel covering $100 million in payments between 16 antidiabetic brands and 50,000 physicians, the authors find that the monthly payments changed insignificantly, on average, due to disclosure. However, the average null effect masks some unintended consequences of disclosure, wherein payments may have increased for more expensive drugs and among physicians who prescribed more heavily. The authors further explore potential mechanisms that can parsimoniously describe the data pattern.
In recent years, many news providers have begun monetizing online content through paywalls. While the premise behind paywalls is that the subscription revenue can be a new source of income, the ...externalities that might arise from this pricing change are unclear. The authors study two potential externalities of newspaper paywalls: (1) the effect of a paywall on the engagement of its online reader base and (2) the spillover effect on the print version of the newspaper. The engagement effect considers how the paywall altered the various engagement metrics among light and heavy readers of online news. The spillover effect is likely to arise if readers view print and online versions of a newspaper as substitutes, implying that increasing the price of the latter is likely to increase the demand for the former. Moreover, many newspaper paywalls offer bundles wherein print subscribers are provided free access to the online newspaper. Therefore, the value that a reader derives from the print subscription could be higher after the erection of the paywall. As a result, paywalls are likely to have a positive spillover effect on print subscription and, consequently, circulation. The authors document the sizes of the two externalities for the New York Times paywall and compare them with the direct subscription revenue generated. They comment on implications for newspapers and online content providers that are seeking mechanisms to monetize digital content.
Objective: To report on the clinical presentations, laboratory abnormalities, treatment and outcomes in 54 patients with neurosarcoidosis (NS). Background: Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory ...granulomatous disease affecting multiple organ systems. Neurosarcoidosis (CNS involvement) is seen in approximately 25% of patients with systemic sarcoidosis, although it is subclinical in most of these cases. Because of its rarity, exposure of neurologists to the clinical spectrum of NS is limited to case reports or short case series. Patients and Methods: A database of 3900 patients treated at the Vanderbilt Multiple Sclerosis Clinic between 1995 and 2008 was searched for ‘neurosarcoidosis’, ‘neurosarcoid’, ‘sarcoidosis’ and ‘sarcoid’. Of the 162 patient records that were retrieved, 54 patients were found to meet the criteria for definite, probable or possible neurosarcoidosis and were reviewed, including their clinical presentation, Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), biopsy results, treatment, and where available, outcomes 4 months to 20 years after onset of the presenting illness. Results: Clinical presentations and imaging findings in NS were varied. Cranial nerve abnormalities were the most common clinical presentation and involvement of the optic nerve in particular was associated with a poor prognosis for visual recovery. Isolated involvement of lower cranial nerves had a more favorable outcome. T2 hyperintense parenchymal lesions were the most common imaging finding followed by meningeal enhancement. Long-term treatment consisted of prednisone and/or other immunomodulators (azathioprine, methotrexate or mycophenolate mofetil). Conclusions: Unlike systemic sarcoidosis, there is difficulty in making tissue diagnosis when involvement of CNS is suspected. MRI and CSF studies are sensitive in the detection of CNS inflammation but lack specificity, making the ascertainment of neurosarcoidosis a clinical challenge. In addition the low prevalence of the disease makes clinical trials difficult and therapeutic decisions are likely to be made from careful reporting from case studies.
The aim of this work is to deposit cost-effective ZnO/g-C3N4 composite thin film on glass substrates and to study its photocatalytic dye degradation efficiency against three toxic organic dyes MB, MG ...and RhB. A simple and inexpensive nebulizer spray technique was employed to deposit the composite thin film samples. The photocatalysis experiment carried out against these three dyes showed that the addition of g-C3N4 with ZnO remarkably enhances the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of ZnO films. The degradation efficiency of ZnO against MB, MG and RhB is 74, 82 and 61%, respectively. The efficiency increases to 95, 97 and 73% after the addition of g-C3N4. The mechanism related to this enhancement is addressed with the help of optical and morphological results. Density Functional Theory calculations were carried out to validate the observed experimental results and support the proposed mechanism.
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•Fabrication of cost-effective photocatalytic composite materials.•Preparation of a highly efficient ZnO/g-C3N4 composite for photocatalytic degradation.•A highly enhanced degradation is achieved for Rh B dye.
Omnichannel marketing is often viewed as the panacea for one-to-one marketing, but this strategic path is mired with obstacles. This article investigates three challenges in realizing the full ...potential of omnichannel marketing: (1) data access and integration, (2) marketing attribution, and (3) consumer privacy protection. While these challenges predate omnichannel marketing, they are exacerbated in a digital omnichannel environment. This article argues that advances in machine learning and blockchain offer some promising solutions. In turn, these technologies present new challenges and opportunities for firms, which warrant further academic research. The authors identify both recent developments in practice and promising avenues for future research.
The Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) is one of the payloads in ASTROSAT, the first Indian Space Observatory. The UVIT instrument has two 375 mm telescopes: one for the far-ultraviolet (FUV) ...channel (1300-1800 ), and the other for the near-ultraviolet (NUV) channel (2000-3000 ) and the visible (VIS) channel (3200-5500 ). UVIT is primarily designed for simultaneous imaging in the two ultraviolet channels with spatial resolution better than 1 8, along with provisions for slit-less spectroscopy in the NUV and FUV channels. The results of in-orbit calibrations of UVIT are presented in this paper.
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