We have performed computational molecular modelling to study the polarization switching and hysteresis loop behaviours of DNA and RNA nucleobases using the PM3 semi-empirical quantum mechanical approaches. All the nucleobases: adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and uracil (U) were modelled. Our study indicates that all the nucleobases exhibit a zero-field polarization due to the presence of polar atoms or molecules such as amidogen and carbonyl. The shape of polarization P versus an applied electric field E hysteresis loop is square, implying typical ferroelectrics behaviour. The total energy U as a function of an applied electric field E exhibits a butterfly-like loop. The presence of zero-field polarization and ferroelectrics hysteresis loop behaviours in nucleobases may support the hypothesis of the existence of bioferroelectricity in DNA and RNA. We also found an interesting relationship between the minimum electric field required for switching [Formula: see text] and the ratio of the topological polar surface area (TPSA) to the total surface area (TSA) of a nucleobase. In particular, the [Formula: see text] of a nucleobase is inversely proportional to the TPSA/TSA ratio. This work may provide useful information for understanding the possible existence of ferroelectricity in biomaterials.
Cellulose carbamate (CC) was produced from kenaf core pulp (KCP) via a microwave reactor-assisted method. The formation of CC was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nitrogen content analysis. The degree of substitution, zeta potential and size distribution of CC were also determined. The CC was characterized with scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetry analysis. The CC particles were then dispersed in silicone oil to prepare CC-based anhydrous electric stimuli-responsive electrorheological (ER) fluids. Rhelogical measurement was carried out using rotational rheometer with a high voltage generator in both steady and oscillatory shear modes to examine the effect of electric field strength on the ER characteristics. The results showed that the increase in electric field strength has enhanced the ER properties of CC-based ER fluid due to the chain formation induced by electric polarization among the particles.
The concept of wholeness or oneness refers to not only humans, but also all of creation. Similarly, consciousness may not wholly exist inside the human brain. One consciousness could permeate the whole universe as limitless energy; thus, human consciousness can be regarded as limited or partial in character. According to the limited consciousness concept, humans perceive projected waves or wave-vortices as a waveless item. Therefore, human limited consciousness collapses the wave function or energy of particles; accordingly, we are only able to perceive them as particles. With this "limited concept", the wave-vortex or wave movement comes into review, which also seems to have a limited concept, i.e., the limited projected wave concept. Notably, this wave-vortex seems to embrace photonic light, as well as electricity and anything in between them, which gives a sense of dimension to our brain. These elements of limited projected wave-vortex and limitless energy (consciousness) may coexist inside our brain as electric (directional pilot wave) and quantum (diffused oneness of waves) brainwaves, respectively, with both of them giving rise to one brain field. Abnormality in either the electrical or the quantum field or their fusion may lead to abnormal brain function.
Thermoelectric nanostructures hold great promise for capturing and directly converting into electricity some vast amount of low-grade waste heats now being lost to the environment (e.g. from nuclear power plant, fossil fuel burning, automotives and household appliances). In this study, large-area vertically-aligned silicon nanowire (SiNW) arrays were synthesized in an aqueous solution containing AgN•i and HF on p-type Si (100) substrate by self-selective electroless etching process. The etching conditions were systematically varied in order to achieve different stages of nanowire formation. Diameters of the SiNWs obtained varied from approximately 50 to 200 nm and their lengths ranged from several to a few tens of um. Te/Bi2Tex.Si thermoelectric core-shell nanostructures were subsequently obtained via galvanic displacement of SiNWs in acidic HF electrolytes containing HTe02+ and 139' /HTe02+ ions. The reactions were basically a nano-electrochemical process due to the difference in redox potentials between the materials. The surface-modified SiNWs of core-shell structures had roughened surface morphologies and, therefore, higher surface-to-bulk ratios compared to unmodified SiNWs. They have potential applications in sensors, photovoltaic and thermoelectric nanodevices. Growth study on the SiNWs and core-shell nanostructures produced is presented using various microscopy, diffraction and probe-based techniques for microstructural, morphological and chemical characterizations.
The investigation of protein-nanoparticle interactions contributes to the understanding of nanoparticle bio-reactivity and creates a database of nanoparticles for use in nanomedicine, nanodiagnosis, and nanotherapy. In this study, hen's egg white was used as the protein source to study the interaction of proteins with sulphuric acid hydrolysed nanocellulose (CNC). Several techniques such as FTIR, zeta potential measurement, UV-vis spectroscopy, compressive strength, TGA, contact angle and FESEM provide valuable information in the protein-CNC interaction study. The presence of a broader peak in the 1600-1050 cm-1 range of CNC/egg white protein FTIR spectrum compared to the 1600-1050 cm-1 range of CNC sample indicated the binding of egg white protein to CNC surface. The contact angle with the glass surface decreased with the addition of CNC to egg white protein. The FESEM EDX spectra showed a higher amount of N and Na on the surface of CNC. It indicates the density of protein molecules higher around CNC. The zeta potential of CNC changed from -26.7 ± 0.46 to -21.7 ± 0.2 with the introduction of egg white protein due to the hydrogen bonding, polar bonds and electrostatic interaction between surface CNC and protein. The compressive strength of the egg white protein films increased from 0.064 ± 0.01 to 0.36 ± 0.02 MPa with increasing the CNC concentration from 0 to 4.73% (w/v). The thermal decomposition temperature of CNC/egg white protein decreased compared to egg white protein thermal decomposition temperature. According to UV-Vis spectroscopy, the far-UV light (207-222nm) absorption peak slightly changed in the CNC/egg white protein spectrum compared to the egg white protein spectrum. Based on the results, the observations of protein nanoparticle interactions provide an additional understanding, besides the theoretical simulations from previous studies. Also, the results indicate to aim CNC for the application of nanomedicine and nanotherapy. A new insight given by us in this research assumes a reasonable solution to these crucial applications.
At present, the domotization of homes and public buildings is becoming increasingly popular. Domotization is most commonly applied to the field of energy management, since it gives the possibility of managing the consumption of the devices connected to the electric network, the way in which the users interact with these devices, as well as other external factors that influence consumption. In buildings, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems have the highest consumption rates. The systems proposed so far have not succeeded in optimizing the energy consumption associated with a HVAC system because they do not monitor all the variables involved in electricity consumption. For this reason, this article presents an agent approach that benefits from the advantages provided by a Multi-Agent architecture (MAS) deployed in a Cloud environment with a wireless sensor network (WSN) in order to achieve energy savings. The agents of the MAS learn social behavior thanks to the collection of data and the use of an artificial neural network (ANN). The proposed system has been assessed in an office building achieving an average energy savings of 41% in the experimental group offices.
This study provides a thorough investigation of partial discharge (PD) activities in nanofluid insulation material consisting of different types of nanoparticles, which are conductive and semiconductive when subjected to high voltage stress is presented. Nanofluids have become a topic of interest because they can be an alternative to liquid insulation in electrical apparatus due to their promising dielectric strength and cooling ability. However, during in-service operation, PDs can occur between conductors in the insulation system. Therefore, this study presents the behavior of PDs within nanofluid dielectric materials consisting of conductive and semiconductive nanoparticles. The results show that there is an improvement in the PD resistance and a reduction in the tan delta of nanofluids at power frequency after the incorporation of conductive or semiconductive nanoparticles in the nanofluid oil. However, the most suitable concentration of conductive and semiconductive nanoparticles in the base fluid was found to be, respectively, 0.01 g/L and 1.0 g/L at PD inception and PD steady-state conditions. The clustering of nanoparticles in a nanofluid suspension due to PD activities is also discussed in this study.
The interactions within microbial, chemical and electronic elements in microbial fuel cell (MFC) system can be crucial for its bio-electrochemical activities and overall performance. Therefore, this study explored polynomial models by response surface methodology (RSM) to better understand interactions among anode pH, cathode pH and inoculum size for optimising MFC system for generation of electricity and degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol. A statistical central composite design by RSM was used to develop the quadratic model designs. The optimised parameters were determined and evaluated by statistical results and the best MFC systematic outcomes in terms of current generation and chlorophenol degradation. Statistical results revealed that the optimum current density of 106 mA/m2 could be achieved at anode pH 7.5, cathode pH 6.3-6.6 and 21-28% for inoculum size. Anode-cathode pHs interaction was found to positively influence the current generation through extracellular electron transfer mechanism. The phenolic degradation was found to have lower response using these three parameter interactions. Only inoculum size-cathode pH interaction appeared to be significant where the optimum predicted phenolic degradation could be attained at pH 7.6 for cathode pH and 29.6% for inoculum size.
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent one of the most attractive and eco-friendly technologies that convert chemical bond energy derived from organic matter into electrical power by microbial catabolic activity. This paper presents the use of a H-type MFC involving a novel NAR-2 bacterial consortium consisting of Citrobacter sp. A1, Enterobacter sp. L17 and Enterococcus sp. C1 to produce electricity whilst simultaneously decolourising acid red 27 (AR27) as a model dye, which is also known as amaranth. In this setup, the dye AR27 is mixed with modified P5 medium (2.5 g/L glucose and 5.0 g/L nutrient broth) in the anode compartment, whilst phosphate buffer solution (PBS) pH 7 serves as a catholyte in the cathode compartment. After several electrochemical analyses, the open circuit voltage (OCV) for 0.3 g/L AR27 with 24-h retention time at 30 °C was recorded as 0.950 V, whereas (93%) decolourisation was achieved in 220-min operation. The maximum power density was reached after 48 h of operation with an external load of 300 Ω. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed the surface morphology of the anode and the bacterial adhesion onto the electrode surface. The results of this study indicate that the decolourisation of AR27 dye and electrical power generation was successfully achieved in a MFC operated by a bacterial consortium. The consortium of bacteria was able to utilise AR27 in a short retention time as an electron acceptor and to shuttle the electrons to the anode surface for bioelectricity generation.
One of the biggest challenges of using single-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that utilize proton-exchange membrane (PEM) air cathode for bioenergy recovery from recalcitrant organic compounds present in wastewater is mainly attributed to their high internal resistance in the anodic chamber of the single microbial fuel cell (MFC) configurations. The high internal resistance is due to the small surface area of the anode and cathode electrodes following membrane biofouling and pH splitting conditions as well as substrate and oxygen crossover through the membrane pores by diffusion. To address this issue, the fabrication of new PEM air-cathode single-chamber MFC configuration was investigated with inner channel flow open assembled with double PEM air cathodes (two oxygen reduction activity zones) coupled with spiral-anode MFC (2MA-CsS-AMFC). The effect of various proton-exchange membranes (PEMs), including Nafion 117 (N-117), Nafion 115 (N-115), and Nafion 212 (N-212) with respective thicknesses of 183, 127, and 50.08 μ, was separately incorporated into carbon cloth as PEM air-cathode electrode to evaluate their influences on the performance of the 2MA-CsS-AMFC configuration operated in fed-batch mode, while Azorubine dye was selected as the recalcitrant organic compound. The fed-batch test results showed that the 2MA-CsS-AMFC configuration with PEM N-115 operated at Azorubine dye concentration of 300 mg L-1 produced the highest power density of 1022.5 mW m-2 and open-circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.20 V coupled with enhanced dye removal (4.77 mg L h-1) compared to 2MA-CsS-AMFCs with PEMs N-117 and N-212 and those in previously published data. Interestingly, PEM 115 showed remarkable reduction in biofouling and pH splitting. Apart from that, mass transfer coefficient of PEM N-117 was the most permeable to oxygen (KO = 1.72 × 10-4 cm s-1) and PEM N-212 was the most permeable membrane to Azorubine (KA = 7.52 × 10-8 cm s-1), while PEM N-115 was the least permeable to both oxygen (KO = 1.54 × 10-4) and Azorubine (KA = 7.70 × 10-10). The results demonstrated that the 2MA-CsS-AMFC could be promising configuration for bioenergy recovery from wastewater treatment under various PEMs, while application of PEM N-115 produced the best performance compared to PEMs N-212 and N-117 and those in previous studies of membrane/membrane-less air-cathode single-chamber MFCs that consumed dye wastewater.
This study investigated the effects of different parameters on the removal efficiencies of organic and inorganic pollutants in landfill leachate treatment by electrolysis. Different parameters were considered such as the electric potential (e.g., 24, 40 and 60 V), hydraulic retention time (HRT) (e.g., 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 min), sodium chloride (NaCl) concentration (e.g., 1, 3, 5 and 7%), pH (e.g., 3, 7 and 9), electrodes materials [e.g., aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe)] and distance between electrodes (e.g., 1, 2 and 3 cm). The best operational condition of electrolysis was then recommended. The electric potential of 60 V with HRT of 120 min at 5% of NaCl solution using Al as anode and Fe as cathode (kept at a distance of 3 cm) was the most efficient condition which increased the removal efficiencies of various parameters such as turbidity, salinity, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and heavy metals (e.g., Zn and Mn). The higher removal percentages of many parameters, especially COD (94%) and Mn (93%) indicated that the electrolysis is an efficient technique for multi-pollutants (e.g., organic, inorganic and heavy metals) removal from the landfill leachate.
Fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas and coal) are the main resources for generating electricity. However, they have been major contributors to environmental problems. One potential alternative to explore is the use of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which generate electricity using microorganisms. MFCs uses catalytic reactions activated by microorganisms to convert energy preserved in the chemical bonds between organic molecules into electrical energy. MFC has the ability to generate electricity during the wastewater treatment process while simultaneously treating the pollutants. This study investigated the potential of using different types of mixed cultures (raw sewage, mixed liquor from the aeration tank & return waste activated sludge) from an activated sludge treatment plant in MFCs for electricity generation and pollutant removals (COD & total kjeldahl nitrogen, TKN). The MFC in this study was designed as a dual-chambered system, in which the chambers were separated by a NafionTM membrane using a mixed culture of wastewater as a biocatalyst. The maximum power density generated using activated sludge was 9.053 mW/cm2, with 26.8% COD removal and 40% TKN removal. It is demonstrated that MFC offers great potential to optimize power generation using mixed cultures of wastewater.
Microbial desalination cells (MDCs) have been experimentally proven as a versatile bioelectrochemical system (BES). They have the potential to alleviate environmental pollution, reduce water scarcity and save energy and operational costs. However, MDCs alone are inadequate to realise a complete wastewater and desalination treatment at a high-efficiency performance. The assembly of identical MDC units that hydraulically and electrically connected can improve the performance better than standalone MDCs. In the same manner, the coupling of MDCs with other BES or conventional water reclamation technology has also exhibits a promising performance. However, the scaling-up effort has been slowly progressing, leading to a lack of knowledge for guiding MDC technology into practicality. Many challenges remain unsolved and should be mitigated before MDCs can be fully implemented in real applications. Here, we aim to provide a comprehensive chronological-based review that covers technological limitations and mitigation strategies, which have been developed for standalone MDCs. We extend our discussion on how assembled, coupled and scaled-up MDCs have improved in comparison with standalone and lab-scale MDC systems. This review also outlines the prevailing challenges and potential mitigation strategies for scaling-up based on large-scale specifications and evaluates the prospects of selected MDC systems to be integrated with conventional anaerobic digestion (AD) and reverse osmosis (RO). This review offers several recommendations to promote up-scaling studies guided by the pilot scale BES and existing water reclamation technologies.
In this paper, the optimal allocation of constant and switchable capacitors is presented simultaneously in two operation modes, grid-connected and islanded, for a microgrid. Different load levels are considered by employing non-dispatchable distributed generations. The objective function includes minimising the energy losses cost, the cost of peak power losses, and the cost of the capacitor. The optimization problem is solved using the spotted hyena optimizer (SHO) algorithm to determine the optimal size and location of capacitors, considering different loading levels and the two operation modes. In this study, a three-level load and various types of loads, including constant power, constant current, and constant impedance are considered. The proposed method is implemented on a 24-bus radial distribution network. To evaluate the performance of the SHO, the results are compared with GWO and the genetic algorithm (GA). The simulation results demonstrate the superior performance of the SHO in reducing the cost of losses and improving the voltage profile during injection and non-injection of reactive power by distributed generations in two operation modes. The total cost and net saving values for DGs only with the capability of active power injection is achieved 105,780 $ and 100,560.54 $, respectively and for DGs with the capability of active and reactive power injection is obtained 89,568 $ and 76,850.46 $, respectively using the SHO. The proposed method has achieved more annual net savings due to the lower cost of losses than other optimization methods.
State of charge (SOC) is a crucial index used in the assessment of electric vehicle (EV) battery storage systems. Thus, SOC estimation of lithium-ion batteries has been widely investigated because of their fast charging, long-life cycle, and high energy density characteristics. However, precise SOC assessment of lithium-ion batteries remains challenging because of their varying characteristics under different working environments. Machine learning techniques have been widely used to design an advanced SOC estimation method without the information of battery chemical reactions, battery models, internal properties, and additional filters. Here, the capacity of optimized machine learning techniques are presented toward enhanced SOC estimation in terms of learning capability, accuracy, generalization performance, and convergence speed. We validate the proposed method through lithium-ion battery experiments, EV drive cycles, temperature, noise, and aging effects. We show that the proposed method outperforms several state-of-the-art approaches in terms of accuracy, adaptability, and robustness under diverse operating conditions.
Environment friendly methods for the synthesis of copper nanoparticles have become a valuable trend in the current scenario. The utilization of phytochemicals from plant extracts has become a unique technology for the synthesis of nanoparticles, as they possess dual nature of reducing and capping agents to the nanoparticles. In the present investigation we have synthesized copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) using a rare medicinal plant Cissus arnotiana and evaluated their antibacterial activity against gram negative and gram positive bacteria. The morphology and characterization of the synthesized CuNPs were studied and done using UV-Visible spectroscopy at a wavelength range of 350-380 nm. XRD studies were performed for analyzing the crystalline nature; SEM and TEM for evaluating the spherical shape within the size range of 60-90 nm and AFM was performed to check the surface roughness. The biosynthesized CuNPs showed better antibacterial activity against the gram-negative bacteria, E. coli with an inhibition zone of 22.20 ± 0.16 mm at 75 μg/ml. The antioxidant property observed was comparatively equal with the standard antioxidant agent ascorbic acid at a maximum concentration of 40 μg/ ml. This is the first study reported on C. arnotiana mediated biosynthesis of copper nanoparticles, where we believe that the findings can pave way for a new direction in the field of nanotechnology and nanomedicine where there is a significant potential for antibacterial and antioxidant activities. We predict that, these could lead to an exponential increase in the field of biomedical applications, with the utilization of green synthesized CuNPs, due to its remarkable properties. The highest antibacterial property was observed with gram-negative strains mainly, E. coli, due to its thin peptidoglycan layer and electrostatic interactions between the bacterial cell wall and CuNPs surfaces. Hence, CuNPs can be potent therapeutic agents in several biomedical applications, which are yet to be explored in the near future.
This paper presents the numerical modelling techniques for the simulation of the energy conversion chain from wave to electricity in an Oscillating Water Column (OWC) equipped with a full-scaled self rectifying turbine. The performance of the OWC device has been assessed for the stand-alone power system of a typical Irish climatic wave condition. The results showed that the overall performance of the complete device depends on the level of turbine damping, which in turn depends on the wave climate, especially the significant wave height. Furthermore, turbine efficiency predicted using quasi-steady showed qualitatively favourable agreement with the experimental results.
The long term objective of this research is to look into the possibility of replacing soil strength parameters such as cohesion and angle of friction with electrical resistivity value for the purpose of computing among others, factor of safety in slopes or bearing capacity of soil. This paper however is limited to the investigation of correlation between electrical resistivity with some selected soil parameters. Electrical resistivity tests, using a basic multi meter, steel moulds and other related equipment, were conducted in the laboratory on soil samples with variations in soil type, compaction energy and moisture content. The samples consisted of predominantly clay, silt and sandy size particles and were compacted in a 100 x 100 mm square mould, while the corresponding electrical resistivity tests were carried out using the disc electrode method in accordance to BS 1377. The values of the electrical parameters such as voltage, current and resistance, with the corresponding value of soil parameters such as cohesion, angle of friction and moisture content, were measured and recorded. The results of the tests produced some initial crude relationships between electrical resistivity and the selected soil parameters. The strongest correlation between electrical resistivity and angle of internal friction, φ, was obtained from the clay size samples with R2 of 0.824, while the maximum correlation between electrical resistivity and moisture content again was obtained through the clay samples with R2 of 0.818. From the other results and graphs analyzed, some consistencies and specific trends of behaviour observed gave some early indications that a more detail and precise correlation between electrical resistivity and soil strength parameters could be very well possible in future.
Analyzed the effects of thermal radiation, chemical reaction, heat gener-
ation/absorption, magnetic and electric fields on unsteady flow and heat transfer of
nanofluid. The transport equations used passively controlled. A similarity solution is
employed to transformed the governing equations from partial differential equations to
a set of ordinary differential equations, and then solve using Keller box method. It was
found that the temperature is a decreasing function with the thermal stratification due to
the fact the density of the fluid in the lower vicinity is much higher compared to the upper
region, whereas the thermal radiation, viscous dissipation and heat generation enhanced
the nanofluid temperature and thermal layer thickness.
Electrocardiographic abnormalities can be associated with acute pancreatitis. However, data regarding the actual causative factor still remains elusive. Many previous cases were reported on non-specific ST and T wave abnormalities concurrent with acute pancreatitis but rarely with an increasing trend of cardiac markers. We describe the case of a 70-year-old female who presented with one such conundrum. Our patient had typical presentation of acute pancreatitis but had dynamic ECG changes with markedly increased cardiac markers. Subsequently after initiation of treatment for acute pancreatitis and observation for the course of several days, the ECG returned to the baseline as pre admission. This substantiates the fact that acute pancreatitis can mimic both biochemical and electrical manifestation of an acute coronary syndrome. Thus, Emergency Physicians should consider acute pancreatitis as a possible diagnosis in patients who present with abnormal electrocardiograms.