Low Cost Research Articles

The Discovery and Development of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists.

Diabetes mellitus has become a serious life-threatening disease. As one of the new drugs for the treatment of diabetes, GLP-1 receptor agonists have attracted a lot of attention. Compared with traditional hypoglycemic drugs, GLP-1 receptor agonists have good safety and tolerability. To a certain extent, they overcome the problem of the short half-life of natural GLP-1 in vivo and can exist stably in patients for a long time, achieving good results in the treatment of diabetes, as well as improving the symptoms of some complications. The GLP-1 receptor agonists in the market are all peptide drugs. Compared with peptide drugs, small molecule agonists have the advantages of low cost and oral administration. In this article, we review the recent research progress of GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Biomass ash waste from agricultural residues: Characterisation, reactivity and potential to develop one-part geopolymer cement

Biomass is burned to generate heat and electricity. The use of biomass fuel has acquired great importance in the last years owing to its carbon-neutral nature. As a result, there is a massive build-up of biomass ash that will keep growing for decades to come. This study uses biomass ash waste to fabricate cements for construction and it presents a “zero fossil energy consumption and zero waste generation" approach to cement production. We measure the reactivity of crop biomass ash (CBA) from a power plant and the properties of one-part, CBA-slag geopolymer cements made with it.CBA has pozzolanic reactivity and potential as precursor for geopolymer fabrication. Up to 30% of CBA can be blended with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) to produce sound, one-part geopolymers activated with sodium carbonate and/or sodium silicate. Beyond this ash threshold, the geopolymer matrix experiences a strength reduction due to insufficient cement content. A one-part geopolymer consisting of 30% CBA and 70% GGBS activated with 10% sodium carbonate achieved a compressive strength of 30.70MPa at 28 days of curing at ambient temperature. However, it exhibited a prolonged setting, taking up to 5hours to initially set and 8hours to finally set. Adding a sodium silicate activator significantly improved mechanical performance and accelerated setting. A formulation activated with 20% sodium silicate and 5% sodium carbonate reached a compressive strength of 46.09MPa at 28 days, with setting times reduced to 57minutes for the initial setting and 1hour 15minutes for the final setting. The sodium silicate activator enhanced hydrate formation and facilitated polymerization thereby accelerating the set and enhancing mechanical performance.Owing to the low carbon emission factor of CBA, the one-part CBA-GGBS has a low carbon footprint, which can reduce carbon emission by 80% in comparison to PC-GGBS (CEM II) mortar with a similar compressive strength. The CBA-GGBS geopolymer is economically feasible, applicable, and market attractive due to its low cost compared with equivalent PC products.

A Comprehensive Review on Niosomes as a Tool for Advanced Drug Delivery.

Over the past few decades, advancements in nanocarrier-based therapeutic delivery have been significant, and niosomes research has recently received much interest. The self-assembled nonionic surfactant vesicles lead to the production of niosomes. The most recent nanocarriers, niosomes, are self-assembled vesicles made of nonionic surfactants with or without the proper quantities of cholesterol or other amphiphilic molecules. Because of their durability, low cost of components, large-scale production, simple maintenance, and high entrapment efficiency, niosomes are being used more frequently. Additionally, they enhance pharmacokinetics, reduce toxicity, enhance the solubility of poorly water-soluble compounds, & increase bioavailability. One of the most crucial features of niosomes is their controlled release and targeted diffusion, which is utilized for treating cancer, infectious diseases, and other problems. In this review article, we have covered all the fundamental information about niosomes, including preparation techniques, niosomes types, factors influencing their formation, niosomes evaluation, applications, and administration routes, along with recent developments.

A Non-hierarchical Syncretic Framework to Assess Environmental Contaminants by Interdisciplinary Integration of Geoscience Methods and Culturally-Centred Indigenous Knowledge Exchange Approaches

Different soil and water pollution sources around an undisclosed First Nation (The FN) in Northern Ontario (Canada) are linked by community health documents and oral histories to a cluster of blood cancer. The site's environmental hydrogeochemical records available are difficult to follow, whereas geophysical data reveals possible pathways of contaminants displayed as 3D maps of subsoil contrasting geoelectrical properties. Through an Indigenous Integrated Knowledge Translation (IIKT) strategy, we have co-constructed with The FN an interdisciplinary framework of non-hierarchical syncretic exchange between geoscience-based environmental engineering praxes and Indigenous Knowledge. The IIKT is articulated through Talking Circles of flexible multidirectional exchanges between The FN and the research team, to address community-identified needs and maintain qualitative and contextual value in the investigative agenda. The Talking Circles have guided our efforts to collect, handle, integrate, and understand hydrogeochemical and geophysical data. Thus, we build a culturally-appropriate knowledge base for self-sufficient environmental monitoring capacities with the community to ensure informed decisions about the land. The sustainability of the proposed framework relies on the non-invasiveness and low cost of the environmental/engineering tools used, the transparency of the community-driven results obtained, and its scalability to other Indigenous communities.

An efficient and low cost realization of LoRa based real-time forest protection system

The forest is a natural habitat for a variety of fauna and flora, and helps to maintain the ecosystem equilibrium. However, wildfire incidents and deforestation lead to forest degradation. Moreover, most of the existing methods, to preserve the forest resources, are ineffective due to their large establishment cost, more power consumption, and poor coverage. This paper brings out a sustainable solution by developing a forest protection system (FPS) that uses internet of things (IoT) technology together with long range (LoRa) communication. The work focuses on the development of an IoT framework for the detection of any intrusion into the forest as well as the detection of fire incidents in the vicinity of the equipment. Powering the equipment through solar energy makes the system cost-effective. The system is examined in terms of acquisition of data from sensor nodes pertaining to forest protection, relaying the same to the cloud using LoRa wide area network (LoRaWAN) technology and analyzing using cloud based visualization tools. The developed system has been deployed at Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, Mulugu district, Telangana, India for validation in the forest environment. The obtained results have shown that the system has an accuracy of 97.14% for intrusion detection and 100% for fire detection.

Building a DFT+U Machine Learning Interatomic Potential for Uranium Dioxide

Despite uranium dioxide (UO2) being a widely used nuclear fuel, fuel performance models rely extensively on empirical correlations of material behavior, leveraging UO2 historical operating experience. Mechanistic models that consider an atomistic understanding of the processes governing fuel performance (such as fission gas release and creep) will enable a better description of fuel behavior under non-prototypical conditions such as in new reactor concepts or for modified UO2 fuel compositions. To this end, molecular dynamics simulation is a powerful tool for rapidly predicting physical properties of proposed fuel candidates. However, the reliability of these simulations depends largely on the accuracy of the atomic forces. Traditionally, these forces are computed using either a classical force field (FF) or density functional theory (DFT). While DFT is relatively accurate, the computational cost is burdensome, especially for f-electron elements, such as actinides. By contrast, classical FFs are computationally efficient but are less accurate. For these reasons, we report a new accurate machine learning interatomic potential (MLIP) for UO2 that provides high-fidelity reproduction of DFT forces at a similar low cost to classical FFs. We employ an active learning approach that autonomously augments the DFT training data set to iteratively refine the MLIP. To further improve the quality of our predictions, we utilize transfer learning to retrain our MLIP to higher-accuracy DFT+U data. We validate our MLIPs by comparing predicted physical properties (e.g., thermal expansion and elastic properties) with those from existing classical FFs and DFT/DFT+U calculations, as well as with experimental data when available.

Validation and test of a novel multi-input converter in extreme conditions using PSOPIC in hybrid power generation environment

The need for renewable energy resources increases due to the day-by-day increase in load demand. Still, there is a need for new technology to operate the existing power system optimally. Distributed generation (DGENs) are helpful in meeting the demand of power due to its lower cost compared to the construction of the complete power system. But this DGEN is constructed using renewable resources, which are intermittent in nature. So, hybrid power generation, which uses multiple sources, is used to satisfy the power need. In this paper, validation, and test of a new multi-input single ended primary inductor converter (MI-SEPIC) is proposed. The performance of the MI-SEPIC converter is tested by connecting photovoltaic (PV), wind, and fuel cells. The proposed system is connected to the grid, and the power transients are analyzed. The DQ control of grid synchronization is discussed in this paper. The conventional PI controller is replaced with a hybrid particle swarm optimization tuned proportional integral control (PSOPIC), and the results are compared. Verification is done using MATLAB software. Validation and test with different test cases to prove the sturdiness of the complete system is explained.

The development of low-cost spin coater with wireless IoT control for thin film deposition

A low-cost spin coater with a wireless remote system that can deposit thin films of uniform thickness and quality at a significantly lower cost than traditional methods. The system consists of three main parts, a motorized spindle, a spin-coating head, and a control system connected to the network. The mechanical design on the mechanical part, spin coater system design with ESP32, and implementation of wireless control through visual basic. The network-enabled control system allows for real-time monitoring and adjustment of the deposition process, which can improve efficiency and reproducibility. This low-cost spin coating system represents a promising solution for organizations seeking to access thin film deposition technology at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems. By integrating wireless IoT control into low-cost spin coaters, the impact of this technology on coating uniformity will provide valuable insights for future advancements in this field.

Valuing flexible resources in the Korean electricity market based on stated preference methods

This study quantifies the value of lost load (VoLL) for the manufacturing sector in South Korea using stated preference methods. VoLL represents the cost of a stable electricity supply, which serves as a public good without a market price to compensate for flexible resources in the electricity market. The contingent valuation and choice experiment showed VoLL ranges from 0.35 to 0.80 USD per kWh unserved, below the industrial VoLL estimates in the existing literature. This finding suggests that outages may have lower costs for electricity consumers than investing in flexible resources. Using the correct estimate of outage costs is required to ensure capacity adequacy.

Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Natural Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Composite

Abstract: Hybrid composite is a material composed of matrix and two or more reinforcements. Two or more reinforcements in hybrid composite replace the limitation of conventional composites by providing uniform strength to thematerial. Recently, natural fibers reinforced hybrid composites are gaining increased interest due to the encouraging properties of natural fibers such as high strength to weight ratio, low cost, no harm to environment etc. Many studies dealt with natural fibers based composite reported that the hybrid composites has the potential to replace glass fiber based composites and to reduce the weight of conventional composite. This project reports on the manufacturing of the Indian elm and Acacia fibre reinforced epoxy composite laminate as per the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) Standards. This laminate consists of matrix and reinforcement. Epoxy is used as a structural matrix material which is then reinforced by Indian elm fiber, combining Acacia fibres with resin matrix results in composites that are strong, lightweight, corrosion-resistant and dimensionally stable. They also provide good design flexibility, high dielectric strength and act as inflammable materials. Their tremendous strength-to-weight and design flexibility make them ideal in structural components for the aerospace industry. In this project the Indian elm and Acacia fibre reinforced epoxy composite is manufactured into two different parts each having ratios of Indian elm and Acacia fibre to epoxy resin as 60:40, 40:60 respectively and are compared for ultimate tensile strength, impact strength, hardness strength and flexural strength of the material by conducting experiment such as tensile test, flexural test, hardness test and impact test.

A Low-cost Two-in-one Fluorescence/ Colorimetry Ammonium Detector: Design and Application

In this study, a compact and low-cost ammonium detector integrated spectrophotometric and fluorescence detection was designed based on the reaction of ammonium and o-phthalaldehyde in the presence of sodium sulfite solution to form substances with both photometric properties and fluorescence. This two-in-one detector detects ammonium in spectrophotometric mode at high concentrations and in fluorescence mode at low concentrations. The detector with a total size of 5×5×5 cm2 and integrates the detector skeleton box, light source, attenuator, filter, photoelectric sensor, data acquisition card, constant current source circuit, and LabVIEW upper computer acquisition program. Also, the detector was applied to the determination of water samples with a wide range of ammonium concentrations, showing good performance. The detector has the advantages of low cost, miniaturization, easy operation, and wide detection concentration range. This two-in-one detector has good potential for ammonium detection in the field, especially where ammonium concentration varies widely.

Smart Car Parking System and Generation of Piezoelectric Energy

Abstract: In the past few years, parking has become a costly commodity in virtually every major urban region on the earth, and scarcity is a contributing factor to traffic jam and air pollution in urban areas. The most popular method to obtain a parking place is to do it manually, in which the drivers looks for a parking area either through experience or by luck. This method takes time and effort, and it may result in the worst-possible situation of not finding a parking place if vehicle is in a place with a high vehicle density. An effort is made here to park the vehicle as well as to find a parking space for the vehicle with a framework of Smart Parking System(SPS) which is based on the law of conservation of energy in we basically convert the elements from mechanical energy into electrical energy. This document Allow user to Automatically find a free site for parking at low cost without wasting much fuel and time.

Proposal for Promotion of the Solar Photovoltaic Power Industry in Korea

This paper focuses on the crucial role of solar power generation in addressing global warming. It examines South Korea's solar technology, which demonstrates high proficiency at approximately 90% (EU standard) and outperforms the EU in system operation and maintenance. Despite China's lower technological score (87.5%), its competitive pricing has led to an increase in the market share of Chinese products, eroding South Korea's competitiveness. The research identifies cost issues compared to coal and explores avenues for improvement, particularly in direct and indirect cost aspects. In the direct cost domain, proposals include establishing solar cell production facilities in countries with low labor costs and favorable tax incentives to reduce equipment costs. In the indirect cost domain, suggestions involve leveraging building-integrated solar and unused land to cut permit and financial expenses. The paper highlights reasons for the inadequate adoption of building-integrated solar in South Korea, such as mortgage issues, pricing constraints due to the System Marginal Price (SMP) system, and the limited deployment of microgrids. Emphasis is placed on the activation of microgrids, introducing new transaction methods and promoting efficient power transactions through infrastructure. These efforts are expected to lead to the sustained growth of the solar power generation industry in the future.

Task Scheduling by Hybrid Metaheuristic Approach in Cloud Environment

Abstract: Recent advancements in hardware, virtualization technology, distributed computing, and service delivery over the Internet have led to the formation of cloud computing. In a distributed computing platform, the scheduling of task workflow is a well-known NP-hard problem. This becomes more complex and challenging if the virtualized clusters execute a large number of tasks in a cloud computing platform. From low-level execution tasks in multiple processors to high-level execution tasks, many heuristics have been proposed. This chapter deals with the proposed min-min algorithm, max-min algorithm, PSO, and TS. The max-min and min-min algorithms estimate the execution time and overall completion time of all the tasks Then assign the tasks on better suitable resource. PSO is simple and effective in a wide range of applications with low computational cost and fast speed. TS approach is one of the popular local search techniques based on neighborhood search algorithm. TS can be directly applied to any kind of virtual optimization problem.

Bamboo Housing - A Sustainable Housing with Low Energy and Cost Effective Solution in India

Bamboo Housing - A Sustainable Housing with Low Energy and Cost Effective Solution in India

Literature review: Work music in reducing work stress

High productivity allows companies to produce goods and services at lower costs, so they can offer more competitive prices in the market. Productivity may experience a decline which can have a negative impact on organizational performance. Decreased productivity can be caused by prolonged work stress. This research aims to analyze the role of work music in reducing work stress. This research was carried out using the method literature review by determining inclusion and exclusion criteria using PICOS (Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Study design) from 7 articles that met the eligibility criteria, then data extraction was carried out by evaluating work music in reducing work stress. Based on the results of a systematic review conducted, it shows that the occupational safety and health program in the form of providing work music is able to increase worker productivity found in various types of work so that it can optimally increase the profits of the employing agency.

Development of Reagents - Blowing Agents Based on Local Raw Materials and their Research

The development and search for effective reagents and optimal technological conditions is one of the main factors for improving the coal flotation process. Solving these problems increases the technological and economic efficiency of flotation enrichment. The article discusses methods for producing foaming regents based on waste from the distillation process of cottonseed oil - gossypol resin and methods of flotation of various classes of fine coal. The advantages of this foaming agent include the availability of raw materials, which are a product of domestic industry, produced at the enterprises of the Kattakurgan MJK and amino alcohols (mono- , di- and triethanolamine) , sufficient resources and relative low cost. Conducted research to assess the effectiveness, surface activity and foaming ability of the resulting reagents - in foaming agents, according to the proposed technology of the studied technical products, the resulting product belongs to the surface-active reagents and has high flotation activity. The physico-chemical and foam-forming properties, foam stability, destruction kinetics and other properties of flotation reagents - foaming agents SK-1 and SK-2 - have been studied. The results of studies of the influence of foaming reagents in the process of flotation and extraction of precious and non-ferrous metals are presented. The optimal option for the effective composition of composite chemical flotation reagents - foaming agents and their parameters was selected. The results of scientific research conducted at JSC NMMC on the use of analogues of the foaming agents SK-1 and SK-2 are given in comparison with the reagents (Oxal) currently used at the plant. The elemental composition of man-made waste samples using reagents SK-1 and SK-2 was determined.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of tislelizumab vs. camrelizumab for the treatment of second-line locally advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BackgroundEsophageal carcinoma is a type of cancer that occurs in the esophagus. For patients with locally advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who have either experienced disease progression following first-line standard chemotherapy or are intolerant to it, the prognosis is typically poor. Additionally, these patients often bear a substantial economic burden during the course of their treatment. Tislelizumab is a selective PD-1 inhibitor with efficacy proven in locally advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of tislelizumab versus camrelizumab as the second-line treatment in locally advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients in China.MethodsFrom the perspective of China’s healthcare system, the partitioned survival model with three health states was established in a 3-week cycle and a lifetime horizon. Anchored matching adjusted indirect comparison was used for survival analyses based on individual patient data from RATIONALE 302 trial and the published ESCORT study due to the lack of head-to-head clinical trials. Only direct medical costs were included. Costs and utility values were derived from local charges, the published literature, and related databases. Sensitivity analyses and a scenario analysis were also performed to verify the robustness of the model results.ResultsCompared with camrelizumab monotherapy, tislelizumab monotherapy incurred a lower lifetime cost ($8,346 vs. $8,851) and yielded higher quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) (0.87 vs. 0.63), which resulted in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of -$2,051/QALY. Tislelizumab monotherapy is a dominant option over camrelizumab monotherapy in China. The three primary parameters upon which this result was most sensitive were the unit cost of camrelizumab, the unit cost of tislelizumab, and the duration of reactive cutaneous capillary endothelial proliferation (RCCEP). According to the probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA), tislelizumab monotherapy was 100% cost-effective when the WTP was 1–3 times GDP per capita in China($11,207/QALY∼$33,621/QALY). Scenario analysis showed that the result was consistent.ConclusionTislelizumab monotherapy is a dominant option compared with camrelizumab monotherapy as the second-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic ESCC in China.

A Novel GE-Mackinsey Market Approach: Investment Opportunity for the Biopolymer Packaging Materials

Sustainable development in agriculture seeks to implement a robust bioeconomy strategy by valorizing agricultural resources into value-added products. Compared to primary biomass use, using agriculture residues and wastes can achieve higher reductions in GHG emissions and lower feedstock costs. Bioeconomy has substantial potential for high-value products such as biopolymers, pharmaceuticals, and food and feed additives. Low-value applications like bioenergy, biofuels, and bulk chemicals have a weak potential for bioeconomy development. However, high value-added products, including biopolymers, require an equal focus as other products in the bioeconomy value pyramid that can lift the market to elevate sustainable bioeconomy development. A successful transition through radical innovations must be justifiable, with economic, environmental, and social benefits primarily promoted by stakeholders, businesses, or government organizations. One of the core options would be to know the market potential of the biopolymer products. Here, a methodology for decision-making to evaluate four existing biopolymer packaging materials (Cellulose, PHA, PLA, and starch) in the EU market has been developed using the GE-McKinsey Nine-Box Matrix, considering market attractiveness and product competitive advantage. Market innovations can be fostered by integrating the resource availability and technology advancement indicators to the methodology steps. The methodology considers sustainability advantages for the agriculture sector and promotes the strategic commercialization of biopolymer packaging materials. Product-specific indicators are used to evaluate the market attractiveness and product competitive advantage. The research findings show that PLA biopolymer packaging material has the highest potential for commercialization. The application of this methodology and its results provide a justifiable way of determining the investments in value-added products and allow investors to make the right decision-making choice for bioplastic packaging materials, ensuring their sustainability and profitability in the market.

Assessing the Applicability of Solar Thermal Technologies for Industrial Tea Drying

Most process heat being used for various industrial applications is supplied from fossil fuels. Coal, gas, and wood fuel are the most used heat resources which usually power steam boilers for production of heat used in a wide range of industrial processes. Since economic growth is largely linked to industrial production, it implies that, a shift towards use of clean energy technologies in industries is crucial to meet the rising demand of process heat while, cutting down carbon emissions to mitigate climate change. Solar thermal systems have over the past years shown potential as a practical alternative to fossil fuels for production of heat for several applications including, water and space heating, industrial process heating and electricity generation in thermal power plants. This study seeks to assess the feasibility of employing solar thermal technologies for drying purposes at Tingamira-Tanganda Tea estate in Zimbabwe. Systems advisor model (SAM) was applied to simulate performance of linear Fresnel (LF) and parabolic trough (PT) solar thermal technologies for industrial tea drying. Information on daily heat demand, required process temperatures and current heat sources was obtained to inform the design process of the proposed solar thermal systems. LF system exhibited better techno-economic performance. It requires a smaller collector area (360 m2) with a lower initial capital cost which is about 8% cheaper. Moreover, it produces higher annual energy at lower levelized cost of heat for solar multiples higher than 1. Carbon footprint of the factory would be reduced by about 114 tonnes CO2 annually. Sensible thermal energy storage technology can be considered for back up heat and heat recovery.