The use of biodiesel is rapidly expanding around the world, making it imperative to fully understand the impacts of biodiesel on the diesel engine combustion process and pollutant formation. ...Biodiesel is known as the mono-alkyl-esters of long chain fatty acids derived from renewable feedstocks, such as, vegetable oils or animal fats, for use in compression ignition engines. Different parameters for the optimization of biodiesel production were investigated in the first phase of this study, while in the next phase of the study performance test of a diesel engine with neat diesel fuel and biodiesel mixtures were carried out. Biodiesel was made by the well known transesterification process. Cottonseed oil (CSO) was selected for biodiesel production. Cottonseed is non-edible oil, thus food versus fuel conflict will not arise if this is used for biodiesel production. The transesterification results showed that with the variation of catalyst, methanol or ethanol, variation of biodiesel production was realized. However, the optimum conditions for biodiesel production are suggested in this paper. A maximum of 77% biodiesel was produced with 20% methanol in presence of 0.5% sodium hydroxide. The engine experimental results showed that exhaust emissions including carbon monoxide (CO) particulate matter (PM) and smoke emissions were reduced for all biodiesel mixtures. However, a slight increase in oxides of nitrogen (NO
x
) emission was experienced for biodiesel mixtures.
This paper presents production of biodiesel (BD) from non-edible renewable karanja (
Pongamia Pinnata) oil, determination of BD properties and influence of BD on engine performance and emissions. ...Bangladesh imports 2.4 million metric ton (MT) DF each year M.N. Nabi, M.S. Akhter, K.M.F. Islam, Prospect of biodiesel production from jatropha curcas, a promising non edible oil seed in Bangladesh, International Conference on Mechanical Engineering (ICME, Dhaka, Bangladesh) Proceedings 2007, paper no. ICME07-TH-06.
1. It has 0.32 million hectare of unused land M.N. Nabi, S.M.N. Hoque, M.S. Uddin, Prospect of Jatropha curcas and pithraj cultivation in Bangladesh, Journal of Engineering and Technology, IUT, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 7 (1) (2009) 41–54.
2. It has been found that cultivating of karanja plant in such unused land; Bangladesh can reduce DF import by 28%. Karanja methyl ester (KME), which is termed as BD, has been produced by well-known transesterification process. The properties of B100 (B100) and its blends were determined mainly according to ASTM standard and some of them were as per EN14214 standard. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis showed that the DF fuel contained mainly alkanes and alkens, while the B100 contained mainly esters. The gas chromatography (GC) of B100 revealed that a maximum of 97% methyl ester was produced from karanja oil. Engine experiment result showed that all BD blends reduced engine emissions including carbon monoxide (CO), smoke and engine noise, but increased oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Compared to DF, B100 reduced CO, and smoke emissions by 50 and 43%, while a 15% increase in NOx emission was observed with the B100. Compared to DF, engine noise with B100 was reduced by 2.5 dB.
Viral diseases cause significant damage to crop yield and quality. While fungi- and bacteria-induced diseases can be controlled by pesticides, no effective approaches are available to control viruses ...with chemicals as they use the cellular functions of their host for their infection cycle. The conventional method of viral disease control is to use the inherent resistance of plants through breeding. However, the genetic sources of viral resistance are often limited. Recently, genome editing technology enabled the publication of multiple attempts to artificially induce new resistance types by manipulating host factors necessary for viral infection.
In this review, we first outline the two major (R gene-mediated and RNA silencing) viral resistance mechanisms in plants. We also explain the phenomenon of mutations of host factors to function as recessive resistance genes, taking the eIF4E genes as examples. We then focus on a new type of virus resistance that has been repeatedly reported recently due to the widespread use of genome editing technology in plants, facilitating the specific knockdown of host factors. Here, we show that (1) an in-frame mutation of host factors necessary to confer viral resistance, sometimes resulting in resistance to different viruses and that (2) certain host factors exhibit antiviral resistance and viral-supporting (proviral) properties.
A detailed understanding of the host factor functions would enable the development of strategies for the induction of a new type of viral resistance, taking into account the provision of a broad resistance spectrum and the suppression of the appearance of resistance-breaking strains.
Energy demand is rising over time in both developing and developed countries. Therefore, finding new sources of energy is a prime concern now. For this effort, this paper presents the pyrolysis of ...onion (Allium cepa) shells in a reactor with a fixed bed for generating alternative liquid fuel. This paper also compares alternative fuel characteristics, including higher heating value, viscosity, density, pour point, and flash point, with conventional petroleum fuels at optimal process conditions. The work adopted pyrolysis to produce liquid fuel at a temperature range of 400–550 °C and utilized LPG to provide a heat source. The liquid product (fuel oil) was collected, and non-condensable gas was flared. The liquid product was tested for various properties, and the results of the analyses show that alternative fuel has a higher heating value of 12.227 MJ/kg, density of 800 kg/m3, viscosity of 4.3 cP at 30 °C, pour point below −6.2 °C, and flash point around 137 °C, with a variation due to the volatile matters. To obtain favorable conditions for pyrolysis, some parameters, including bed temperature, sample quantity, average particle size, and operating time, were varied and analyzed. The physio-chemical properties made the alternative fuels isolated from conventional petroleum fuels due to the variation in distillation temperature. This work shows that the fuel oil generated from the pyrolysis of onion shells could be considered an alternative source of fuel.
In this report combustion and exhaust emissions with neat diesel fuel and diesel–biodiesel blends have been investigated. In the investigation, firstly biodiesel from non-edible neem oil has been ...made by esterification. Biodiesel fuel (BDF) is chemically known as mono-alkyl fatty acid ester. It is renewable in nature and is derived from plant oils including vegetable oils. BDF is non-toxic, biodegradable, recycled resource and essentially free from sulfur and carcinogenic benzene. In the second phase of this investigation, experiment has been conducted with neat diesel fuel and diesel–biodiesel blends in a four stroke naturally aspirated (NA) direct injection (DI) diesel engine. Compared with conventional diesel fuel, diesel–biodiesel blends showed lower carbon monoxide (CO), and smoke emissions but higher oxides of nitrogen (NO
x
) emission. However, compared with the diesel fuel, NO
x
emission with diesel–biodiesel blends was slightly reduced when EGR was applied.
The physical properties of the synthesized MAX phases M2SeC (M = Hf, Zr) have been investigated for the first time using the DFT method in the pressure range 0–25 GPa. The computed lattice parameters ...are consistent with the earlier findings at ambient pressure. The electronic band structure and energy dependent density of states reveal the metallic nature of the titled compounds. The metallic behavior of M2SeC (M = Hf, Zr) remains unchanged within the studied pressure range. Possible changes in the mechanical properties between Hf2SeC and Zr2SeC are revealed by analyzing the peaks in the density of states (DOS) for both compounds. Partial DOS is also considered under different pressures. The studied compounds remain mechanically stable up to 25 GPa. Both Hf2SeC and Zr2SeC are elastically anisotropic and brittle, but as the pressure increases up to 25 GPa, the brittleness of the materials decreases. At 5 and 10 GPa, however, both compounds exhibit a ductile behavior. The optical properties of Hf2SeC have been computed for the first time and compared with those of Zr2SeC. The investigated compounds are promising as solar heat reflectors due to their higher reflectivity in the low energy state. Different thermal properties, such as Debye temperature, melting temperature, and minimum thermal conductivity, have been explored within the studied pressure range to recognize their suitability for high-temperature applications. Both Hf2SeC and Zr2SeC have the potential to be used as coating materials for thermal barriers, although Hf2SeC is a better option.
Aggressive and recurrent gynecological cancers are associated with worse prognosis and a lack of effective therapeutic response. Ovarian cancer (OC) patients are often diagnosed in advanced stages, ...when drug resistance, angiogenesis, relapse, and metastasis impact survival outcomes. Currently, surgical debulking, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy remain the mainstream treatment modalities; however, patients suffer unwanted side effects and drug resistance in the absence of targeted therapies. Hence, it is urgent to decipher the complex disease biology and identify potential biomarkers, which could greatly contribute to making an early diagnosis or predicting the response to specific therapies. This review aims to critically discuss the current therapeutic strategies for OC, novel drug-delivery systems, and potential biomarkers in the context of genetics and molecular research. It emphasizes how the understanding of disease biology is related to the advancement of technology, enabling the exploration of novel biomarkers that may be able to provide more accurate diagnosis and prognosis, which would effectively translate into targeted therapies, ultimately improving patients' overall survival and quality of life.
Let
A
be a
∗
-algebra over the complex field
C
.
For any
T
1
,
T
2
,
…
,
T
n
∈
A
, define
q
1
(
T
1
)
=
T
1
,
q
2
(
T
1
,
T
2
)
=
T
1
⋄
T
2
=
T
1
T
2
∗
+
T
2
T
1
∗
and
q
n
(
T
1
,
T
2
,
…
,
T
n
)
=
q
...n
-
1
(
T
1
,
T
2
,
…
,
T
n
-
1
)
⋄
T
n
for all integers
n
≥
2
.
In this article, it is shown that under certain assumptions a map
D
:
A
→
A
is a nonlinear bi-skew Jordan
n
-derivation (that is,
D
satisfies
D
(
q
n
(
T
1
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T
2
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)
=
∑
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=
1
n
q
n
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T
1
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1
,
D
(
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1
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for all
T
1
,
T
2
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,
T
n
∈
A
) if and only if
D
is an additive
∗
-derivation. Further, we introduce the notion of a nonlinear generalized bi-skew Jordan
n
-derivation of a
∗
-algebra and prove that every nonlinear generalized bi-skew Jordan
n
-derivation
G
:
A
→
A
is of the form
G
(
T
)
=
Z
T
+
D
(
T
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for all
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∈
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,
where
Z
∈
Z
(
A
)
and
D
:
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→
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is an additive
∗
-derivation. As applications, we apply our main results to some special classes of
∗
-algebras such as prime
∗
-algebras, factor von Neumann algebras, von Neumann algebras with no central summonds of type
I
1
.
The development of the foot rot disease caused by the fungus
Sclerotium rolfsii
is one of the primary variables endangering betel vine production in Bangladesh. Consequently, with the ultimate ...objective of finding efficient preventive and control strategies for this infamous phytopathogen, the current study was undertaken for comprehensive population structure analysis, exploration of physiological features and incidence patterns of pathogenic
S. rolfsii
isolates. We discovered 22
S. rolfsii
isolates from nine northern districts of Bangladesh
.
Mohanpur (51.90%), Bagmara (54.09%), and Durgapur (49.45%) upazilas in the Rajshahi district had the more severe occurrences of foot rot disease, while Chapainawabganj (18.89%) had the least number of cases. The isolates differed substantially in terms of morphology and growth rate. By employing the UPGMA algorithm to analyze the combined morphological data from 22
S. rolfsii
isolates, these isolates were divided into six different groups with a 62% similarity level. Somatic incompatibility was also found in some isolates. The RAPD-4 primer confirmed 100% polymorphism among these isolates, and these genetic variations were further validated by molecular analysis. The results of the morphological and molecular analysis revealed that there was significant variation among the
S. rolfsii
isolates. Finally, a comprehensive characterization of
S. rolfsii
would allow for a suitable management strategy for betel vine’s deadly foot rot disease.
Rice bakanae, a devastating seed-borne disease caused by Fusarium species requires a more attractive and eco-friendly management strategy. The optimization of plant-mediated silver nanoparticles ...(AgNPs) as nanofungicides by targeting Fusarium species may be a rational approach. In this study, Azadirachta indica leaf aqueous extract-based AgNPs (AiLAE-AgNPs) were synthesized through the optimization of three reaction parameters: A. indica leaf amount, plant extract-to-AgNO3 ratio (reactant ratio), and incubation time. The optimized green AgNPs were characterized using ultraviolet–visible light (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The optimal conditions for producing spherical, unique, and diminutive-sized AgNPs ranging from 4 to 27 nm, with an average size of 15 nm, were 2 g AiLAE at a 1:19 ratio (extract-to-AgNO3) and incubated for 4 h. Fusarium isolates collected from infected soils and identified as F. fujikuroi (40) and F. proliferatum (58 and 65) by PCR were used for seed infestation. The AgNPs exhibited concentration-dependent mycelial growth inhibition with EC50 values ranging from 2.95 to 5.50 μg/mL. The AgNPs displayed exposure time-dependent seed disinfectant potential (complete CFU reduction in F. fujikuroi (40) and F. proliferatum (58) was observed at a concentration of 17.24 μg/mL). The optimized green AgNPs were non-toxic to germinating seeds, and completely cured bakanae under net-house conditions, suggesting their great nano-fungicidal potency for food security and sustainable agriculture.
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•Plant-based green AgNPs synthesized through the optimization of reaction parameters.•Spherical, tiny, unique, highly crystalline, and long-term stable AgNPs were formed.•Fusarium sp. mycelial growth inhibition of AgNPs exhibited a dose-dependent manner.•AgNPs exerted exposure time-dependent seed disinfectant potential at very low doses.•Non-toxic to germinating seeds and fully cured rice bakanae in net-house conditions.
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