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•Engineered Cementitious Material ECC, unique composite with high resistant to crack.•Modified Andreasen and Andersen theory is employed to optimize mix proportion of ECC.•Particle ...packing model in accessible software (EMMA) decrease incidence of trial mixes required.•Optimization of particle packing with distribution modulus of 0.23 refines pore distribution.•From 26 trial mixes, optimal dosage of HRWRA is 2.62 percent with water binder content of 0.16.•Incorporation of 15 % silica fume, 0.16 water binder ratio enhances compressive strength to 82 MPa.
Engineered Cementitious Composites(ECC) is a heterogeneous high-performance material with improved compressive strength and fatigue resistance. The nature and intensity of packing has a significant impact on the efficiency of ECC. To streamline the mix design by an improved technique the current study focuses on employing the Modified Andreasen and Andersen (MAA) theory to optimize the mixture proportions of ECC with the particle packing concept that in turn reduces lot of trial mixes. The primary input parameters are particle size distribution, density of materials, binder proportions and water content. In this case study, about series of 6 group of trail mixes with water binder ratio ranging from 0.14 to 0.24 are chosen, and the optimization is carried out using Elkem Materials Mixture Analyser (EMMA). Hence the MAA deals with the solid particle packing effect, the ratio of water and High Range Water Reducing Admixture (HRWRA) depends on the flowability test of ECC. According to the results, the optimal dosage of HRWRA is 2.62 percent with a water binder content of 0.16. It is ascertained from the case study that, A 09 mix recipe exhibits improved compressive strength of up to 82 MPa at 28 days. Some of the mix recipes exhibit higher early strength, but the strength decreases with age in some compositions of ECC. The discontinuity of hydration process due to the presence of excessive early age additives such as silica fume, lack of adaptivity between the cement and superplasticizer, inappropriate combination of mixture proportion reduces strength of ECC.
•A model for the selection of robots by considering both objective and subjective criteria is proposed.•Justification on selection of criteria is carried out using Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM).•Weights ...of the criteria are found using FAHP.•Alternatives are ranked by Fuzzy TOPSIS/Fuzzy VIKOR method.•Ranking identified using Fuzzy VIKOR is closest to ideal solution.
Robots with vastly different capabilities and specifications are available for a wide range of applications. Selection of a robot for a specific application has become more complicated due to increase in the complexity, advanced features and facilities that are continuously being incorporated into the robots by different manufacturers. The aim of this paper is to present an integrated approach for the optimal selection of robots by considering both objective and subjective criteria. The approach utilizes Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM), Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process (FAHP), Fuzzy modified TOPSIS or Fuzzy VIKOR and Brown–Gibson model for robot selection. FDM is used to select the list of important objective and subjective criteria based on the decision makers’ opinion. Fuzzy AHP method is then used to find out the weight of each criterion (both objective and subjective). Fuzzy modified TOPSIS or Fuzzy VIKOR method is then used to rank the alternatives based on objective and subjective factors. The rankings obtained are used to calculate the robot selection index based on Brown–Gibson model. The proposed methodology is illustrated with a case study related to selection of robot for teaching purpose. It is found that the highest ranked alternative based on Fuzzy VIKOR is closest to the ideal solution.
We report a machine learning approach to accurately correlate the impedance variations in zinc oxide/multi walled carbon nanotube nanocomposite (F-MWCNT/ZnO-NFs) to NH
ions concentrations. Impedance ...response of F-MWCNT/ZnO-NFs nanocomposites with varying ZnO:MWCNT compositions were evaluated for its sensitivity and selectivity to NH
ions in the presence of structurally similar analytes. A decision-making model was built, trained and tested using important features of the impedance response of F-MWCNT/ZnO-NF to varying NH
concentrations. Different algorithms such as kNN, random forest, neural network, Naïve Bayes and logistic regression are compared and discussed. ML analysis have led to identify the most prominent features of an impedance spectrum that can be used as the ML predictors to estimate the real concentration of NH
ion levels. The proposed NH
sensor along with the decision-making model can identify and operate at specific operating frequencies to continuously collect the most relevant information from a system.
Epilepsy affects the physical, cognitive, emotional, social wellbeing, and thereby the overall quality of life (QOL). Epilepsy is the most prevalent neurological disorder in the pediatric age group ...with a prevalence of 3.13 to 3.73 per 1000 in India. It is imperative for the primary caregiver to look beyond seizure control for improving wellbeing of children with epilepsy (CWE). Hence, there is a need to understand the predictors of QOL in Indian CWE. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of epilepsy and antiepileptic medications on the child's development, health, scholastic performance, and QOL and to identify the predictors of QOL.
This study was a cross-sectional hospital-based prospective study with sociodemographic, clinical data collected from 110 children (age 4–18 years). Seizure severity was assessed with the Hague Seizure Severity Scale, and adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were assessed using the Adverse Event Profile Scale. The QOL was measured employing the Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy (QOLCE) questionnaire.
The mean total QOLCE score was 72.6 ± 13.6. Among the subscale scores, memory had the highest mean of 86.5, and the lowest mean was observed for QOL item (40.4). There was no significant association of the total QOLCE score with any of the sociodemographic variables such as gender, place, socioeconomic status, paternal/maternal education, or family type. Children with more severe seizures had significantly lower energy and QOL subscale scores and greater depression and anxiety. Prolonged duration of epilepsy, frequent seizures, and recent seizures had a significant negative correlation with the mean total QOLCE score. Children with epilepsy who are on multiple AEDs, prolonged duration of AED intake, or poor adherence to AEDs have significantly lower total QOLCE score. Children manifesting adverse effects to AEDs had significantly lower overall QOL affecting all domains.
Overall QOL in CWE is most compromised by polytherapy, poor adherence to medication, adverse effects of AEDs, hospitalization, and presence of developmental delay.
•Long duration of epilepsy, frequent/recent seizures are related to poor quality of life (QOL) in children with epilepsy (CWE)•Lower QOL associated with polytherapy, prolonged duration or poor adherence to antiepileptic drug intake•Presence of developmental delay or hospitalizations worsen the QOL•QOL in CWE is not correlated to socio-demographic variables
Methylcellulose, a prominent polysaccharide prevalent in the food sector, was considered to fabricate the active films with glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker and Noni (Morinda citrifolia) Leaf Extract ...(NLE) as an active agent. FTIR analysis confirms the intermolecular -OH bonding, and SEM micrograms demonstrate methylcellulose active films' homogeneous, dense morphologic appearance. Due to the crosslinking effect of glutaraldehyde and noni leaf extract, tensile strength (41.83 ± 0.134 MPa) and crystallinity (62.91 %) of methylcellulose films were improved. Methylcellulose active films suppress water and moisture uptake at various relative humidities. The inhibition capability against foodborne pathogens and the excellent antioxidant activity DPPH (93.191 ± 1.384 %) and ABTS (90.523 ± 1.412 %) of NLE incorporation suggested that food packed in methylcellulose active films were effective against pathogenic and oxidative attacks. During preservation, to ensure the apple slices' nutritional values, they are covered with physiochemically enhanced methylcellulose active films for up to 120 h. The minimum reduction in vitamin C, reducing sugar content, percentage weight loss, pH, and total phenolic content of apple slices preserved in MGN active films at room temperature suggests it is an affordable and efficient replacement to traditional single-use plastic packaging in the cut fruit industry.
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•Solvent casted NLE incorporated MGN active films are biodegradable.•MGN active films exhibit excellent antimicrobial and antioxidant activity.•MGN active films successfully avoid browning by restraining PPO activity.•MGN active film packaging can maintain the nutrition value at room temperature.•MGN active films are sustainable alternatives for cut fruit packaging.
In this research, the adsorptive removal of Cr(VI) ions from the aquatic environment have been studied using newly synthesized magnetic nanoparticles coated mixed fungal biomass (MNP-FB). Two fungal ...biomass such as Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger were isolated, screened, and utilized as a precursor for making an adsorbent. Molecular characterization of isolated fungal species was recognized using 18S rRNA sequencing. The characterization studies of the MNP-FB were evaluated using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses. Optimization studies were studied to check the effect of different operating variables such as pH (2.0–9.0), equilibrium time (10–90 min), MNP-FB dosage (0.1–1.0 g/L), temperature (30–60 °C) and concentration of Cr(VI) ions (50–500 mg/L). Additionally, Freundlich isotherm model fits well for the adsorption of Cr(VI) ion using MNP-FB. The adsorption kinetics was interpreted well by Pseudo-first order model. The thermodynamic study concluded that Cr(VI) ions removal by MNP-FB was exothermic and appreciative at low temperatures. The monolayer adsorption efficiency of MNP-FB for Cr(VI) ions was measured as 249.9 mg/g. The current results reveal that MNP-FB has considered being a proficient and economically suitable material for the Cr(VI) ions removal from the water environment.
•The adsorption of Cr(VI) ion was studied using magnetic nanoparticles coated mixed fungal biomass.•The screened Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger was identified by 18S rRNA Sequencing method.•Langmuir capacity is calculated as 249.9 mg/g.•The adsorption data fitted well with Freundlich isotherm and Pseudo-first-order kinetic models.•The magnetic nanoparticles coated mixed fungal biomass found to be highly effective and reusable.
Polyethylene terephthalate is a common plastic in many products such as viscose rayon for clothing, and packaging material in the food and beverage industries. Polyethylene terephthalate has ...beneficial properties such as light weight, high tensile strength, transparency and gas barrier. Nonetheless, there is actually increasing concern about plastic pollution and toxicity. Here we review the properties, occurrence, toxicity, remediation and analysis of polyethylene terephthalate as macroplastic, mesoplastic, microplastic and nanoplastic. Polyethylene terephthalate occurs in groundwater, drinking water, soils and sediments. Plastic uptake by humans induces diseases such as reducing migration and proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells of bone marrow and endothelial progenitor cells. Polyethylene terephthalate can be degraded by physical, chemical and biological methods.
The alarming mortality rates associated with cardiac abnormalities emphasize the critical need for early and accurate detection of heart disorders to mitigate severe health consequences for patients. ...Electrocardiograms (ECG) are commonly employed instruments for the examination of cardiac disorders, with a preference for noise-free ECG signals to ensure precise interpretation. However, ECG signal recordings are susceptible to environmental interferences, including patient movement and electrode positioning. This paper introduces a hardware implementation for denoising ECG signals, leveraging a novel method by integrating high-order Synchrosqueezing Transform, Detrended Fluctuation Analysis, and Non-Local-Mean filter optimized by Particle Swarm Optimization (HSST-DFA-PSO-NLM) techniques on Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) platforms. FPGA-based processing units are chosen for their outstanding performance attributes, including high re-programmability, speed, architectural flexibility, and low power consumption, resulting in efficient signal processing. The effectiveness of the designed filtering algorithm is evaluated using key criteria, including Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) for performance assessment. Additionally, resource utilization metrics such as Look-Up Tables (LUTs), Flip Flops, and DSP Blocks, as well as power consumption measures including dynamic power and static or leakage power, are analysed across various FPGA boards (Virtex and Zedboards) utilizing the VIVADO environment. Comparative analyses are conducted to identify the most suitable FPGA board for implementation, highlighting the superior performance of the proposed design. Remarkably, the proposed denoising solution gives excellent SNR of 29.56, 29.68, and 28.86 by denoising various ECG noises. The RMSE attained by the model is also less than 0.05. This research advances the field of cardiac disorder detection by providing a reliable and efficient FPGA-based solution for ECG signal denoising, thereby enhancing the accuracy of early diagnosis and treatment.
Biogenesis of the iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster is an indispensable process in living cells. In mammalian mitochondria, the initial step of the Fe-S cluster assembly process is assisted by the ...NFS1-ISD11 complex, which delivers sulfur to scaffold protein ISCU during Fe-S cluster synthesis. Although ISD11 is an essential protein, its cellular role in Fe-S cluster biogenesis is still not defined. Our study maps the important ISD11 amino acid residues belonging to putative helix 1 (Phe-40), helix 3 (Leu-63, Arg-68, Gln-69, Ile-72, Tyr-76), and C-terminal segment (Leu-81, Glu-84) are critical for in vivo Fe-S cluster biogenesis. Importantly, mutation of these conserved ISD11 residues into alanine leads to its compromised interaction with NFS1, resulting in reduced stability and enhanced aggregation of NFS1 in the mitochondria. Due to altered interaction with ISD11 mutants, the levels of NFS1 and Isu1 were significantly depleted, which affects Fe-S cluster biosynthesis, leading to reduced electron transport chain complex (ETC) activity and mitochondrial respiration. In humans, a clinically relevant ISD11 mutation (R68L) has been associated in the development of a mitochondrial genetic disorder, COXPD19. Our findings highlight that the ISD11 R68A/R68L mutation display reduced affinity to form a stable subcomplex with NFS1, and thereby fails to prevent NFS1 aggregation resulting in impairment of the Fe-S cluster biogenesis. The prime affected machinery is the ETC complex, which showed compromised redox properties, causing diminished mitochondrial respiration. Furthermore, the R68L ISD11 mutant displayed accumulation of mitochondrial iron and reactive oxygen species, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, which correlates with the phenotype observed in COXPD19 patients.
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