Mixing Of Components Research Articles

Prediction of the thermal-physical properties of amorphous nickel alloys Ni2B, Ni44Nb56, Ni62Nb38 according to component data

The replacement of traditional materials with amorphous alloys and the operation of products made from them are determined by the structural, temporal and temperature stability of disordered environments. In particular, the thermal stability of an amorphous alloy directly depends on its thermophysical characteristics. Therefore, the article demonstrates the applicability of the rule of mixing components and the use of their data on thermophysical properties in the crystalline state to evaluate similar characteristics of alloys from the metal – metalloid and transition metal – transition metal groups in the amorphous phase. It has been established that for the transition metal – transition metal group, the assessment of the heat capacity of amorphous nickel alloys gives a better approximation to the experimentally established values than for an alloy from the metal – metalloid group. The reasons for the discrepancy between the assessment and experimental data for an alloy from the metal – metalloid group are possibly the covalency of the atomic bonds in contrast to the metallic bond for alloys from the transition metal – transition metal group, the smaller size of the metalloid atoms, its greater mobility and the effect on the refinement of alloy grains. The possibility of an amorphous alloy inheriting some properties of one of the components is indicated, which requires experimental verification.

The effect of dilution on the energy dissipation in water interstellar ice analogue. Probed by infrared irradiation

Interstellar ices and their energetic processing play an important role in advancing the chemical complexity in space. Interstellar ices covering dust grains are intrinsically mixed, and it is assumed that physicochemical changes induced by energetic processing -- triggered by photons, electrons, and ions -- strongly depend on the content of the ice. Yet, the modelling of these complex mixed systems in experiments and theory is complicated. In this paper, we investigate the effect of infrared irradiation on a series of different molecules mixed with porous amorphous solid water (pASW) to study the release of vibrational energy in the hydrogen-bonding network of water as a function of mixing ratio and ice content. Particularly, we select mixtures of 20:1 H2O :X and 5:1 H2O :X with X= CO2 NH3 or CH4 Infrared radiation was supplied by the intense and tunable free electron laser (FEL) 2 at the HFML-FELIX facility. We monitored the structural changes in the interstellar ice analogue after resonant infrared excitation using Fourier-transform reflection absorption infrared (FT-RAIR) spectroscopy. We observed that on-resonance irradiation at the OH-stretching vibration of pASW results in quantitatively identical changes compared to pure pASW for all investigated mixtures. The structural changes we observed closely resemble the previously reported local reordering. The 5:1 mixtures show weaker changes compared to pure pASW, with a decrease in strength from NH3 to CO2 Since the hydrogen-bonding network of pASW restructures similarly upon FEL irradiation, regardless of the mixing component, treating ice layers in models that simulate energy dissipation in the hydrogen-bonding network as pure H2O ice layers can be a justified approximation. Hence, complex systems might not always be necessary to describe the infrared energetic processing of ices.

The effect of metal-to-ligand charge transfer on linear and nonlinear optical properties of hexaphyrin and metallo-hexaphyrins

Charge transfer from metal to ligand has implications in various fields of chemistry, physics and biology. The manipulation of spin properties would be necessary for controlling charge transfer in spintronics and biological applications. Upon binding to the metal atoms (Ni, Cu, Au, etc.), the spin properties would be modulated in organic conjugated molecules of less intrinsic spin–orbit coupling (SOC) due to SOC coming from the heavy elements. Emission spectra calculation is necessary to validate them as suitable fluorescence quenchers. The nonlinear optical properties like first-order hyperpolarisability β and second-order hyperpolarisability γ calculations are important to find out their relation between fluorescence quenching and higher order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. From the second-order NLO properties, we computed degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) component ( γ ( 2 ) ( − ω ; ω , ω , − ω )) and finally quadratic nonlinear refractive indices of the expanded porphyrins (EPs). How the linear and nonlinear optical properties are dependent on the SOC coming from the heavy materials (Ni, Cu, Au), and charge transfer process is the most interesting question to be addressed for their potential uses for various optoelectronic and spintronic applications.

Streaming variational inference-empowered Bayesian nonparametric clustering for online structural damage detection with transmissibility function

Transmissibility function (TF) is widely applied in damage detection due to its sensitivity to damage and robustness to external excitations, but its application in online damage detection is rarely reported due to challenges in handling data streams. This study proposes a new TF-based online damage detection method that integrates a truncation-free variational inference-based full Dirichlet process Gaussian mixture model (VI-FDPGMM) within a streaming variational inference (SVI) paradigm. As an improved Bayesian nonparametric approach, the truncation-free VI-FDPGMM addresses the issue of truncating mixing components in traditional VI-DPGMM for online learning with increasing data by strategically setting the variational distributions of parameters for the components without assigned data (i.e., inactivated components) to their prior distributions based on the Bayesian viewpoint, which enables computing the probabilities to assign data points to these components and determining the creation of new components. As a result, the truncation-free VI-FDPGMM allows dynamically adding components to the mixture model, providing the flexibility to automatically adapt the number of components for arbitrary amounts of data. This characteristic enables its intuitive integration into the SVI paradigm featured as the variational posterior conditioned on the previous data as the prior when new data are observed, facilitating continuous refinement of the mixture model without repeatedly making inference of previous data. Therefore, the proposed method is highly efficient and well-suited for online damage detection. The proposed method is validated using two case studies, demonstrating its capability to dynamically generate new clusters as new data are available online to indicate the emergence of new damage patterns during the monitoring process, which enables it to perform structural anomaly detection tasks in a semi-supervised manner. Furthermore, the method outperforms some state-of-the-art methods due to its capability for continuous model refinement and robustness in interpreting and capturing uncertainties.

JointNet: Multitask Learning Framework for Denoising and Detecting Anomalies in Hyperspectral Remote Sensing

One of the significant challenges with traditional single-task learning-based anomaly detection using noisy hyperspectral images (HSIs) is the loss of anomaly targets during denoising, especially when the noise and anomaly targets are similar. This issue significantly affects the detection accuracy. To address this problem, this paper proposes a multitask learning (MTL)-based method for detecting anomalies in noisy HSIs. Firstly, a preliminary detection approach based on the JointNet model, which decomposes the noisy HSI into a pure background and a noise–anomaly target mixing component, is introduced. This approach integrates the minimum noise fraction rotation (MNF) algorithm into an autoencoder (AE), effectively isolating the noise while retaining critical features for anomaly detection. Building upon this, the JointNet model is further optimized to ensure that the noise information is shared between the denoising and anomaly detection subtasks, preserving the integrity of the training data during the anomaly detection process and resolving the issue of losing anomaly targets during denoising. A novel loss function is designed to enable the joint learning of both subtasks under the multitask learning model. In addition, a noise score evaluation metric is introduced to calculate the probability of a pixel being an anomaly target, allowing for a clear distinction between noise and anomaly targets, thus providing the final anomaly detection results. The effectiveness of the proposed model and method is validated via testing on the HYDICE and San Diego datasets. The denoising metric results of the PSNR, SSIM, and SAM are 41.79, 0.91, and 4.350 and 42.83, 0.93, and 3.558 on the HYDICE and San Diego datasets, respectively. The anomaly detection ACU is 0.943 and 0.959, respectively. The proposed method outperforms the other algorithms, demonstrating that the reconstructed images using this method exhibited lower noise levels and more complete image information, and the JointNet model outperforms the mainstream HSI anomaly detection algorithms in both the quantitative evaluation and visual effect, showcasing its improved detection capabilities.

Dietary supplement enriched in antioxidants and omega-3 promotes retinal glutamine synthesis

To prevent ocular pathologies, new generation of dietary supplements have been commercially available. They consist of nutritional supplement mixing components known to provide antioxidative properties, such as unsaturated fatty acid, resveratrol or flavonoids. However, to date, few data evaluating the impact of a mixture mainly composed of those components (Nutrof Total®) on the retina are available. Only one in-vivo preclinical study demonstrated that dietary supplementation (DS) prevents the retina from light-induced retinal degeneration; and only one in-vitro study on Müller cells culture showed that glutamate metabolism cycle was key in oxidative stress response. Therefore, we raised the question about the in-vivo effect of DS on glutamate metabolism in the retina. Herein, we showed that the dietary supplementation promotes in-vivo increase of retinal glutamine amount through a higher glutamine synthesis as observed in-vitro on Muller cells. Therefore, we can suggest that the promotion of glutamine synthesis is part of the protective effect of DS against retinal degeneration, acting as a preconditioning mechanism against retinal degeneration.

Simulation of the mixing component of a horizontal air-assisted centralised wheat metering device

A horizontal air-assisted centralised metering device involves the use of conveying airflow for mixing and conveying during the seeding process, making it suitable for high-speed precision seeding. This study identified key structural parameters for the mixing component. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were used to analyse the influence of the key structural parameters on airflow distribution and airflow velocity. The results suggested selecting a contraction section conical angle of 40° with maximal conveying airflow velocity and minimal airflow pressure loss. A mixing chamber length of 25 mm prevented the retention and blockage. An expansion section conical angle of 20° achieved higher airflow velocity within the expansion section. CFD-DEM (Discrete Element Modelling) coupled simulation were used to analyse the influence of mixing chamber height, seeding rate, and conveying airflow velocity on seed conveying performance. The results indicated that a mixing chamber height of 16 mm ensured stable seed acceleration, reduced the probability of seed-wall collisions. Seed collisions within the mixing chamber and expansion section increased noticeably along with the rising seeding rates. While airflow velocity in the range of 16–25 m s−1 facilitated timely seed conveyance and reduced seed-wall collisions. Verification experiments for the optimal parameter combination of the mixing component indicated that a conveying airflow velocity of 22 m s−1 resulted in the stability coefficient of variation of total seeding mass not exceeding 1.04 %, the uniformity coefficient of variation of seeding mass in each row not exceeding 3.61 %. This research offers valuable insights for structural improvements in the mixing component of the horizontal air-assisted metering device.

Dual wavelength signal generation with four wave mixing based on directly modulated laser

Dual wavelength (DW) lasers are crucial for producing petahertz (PHz) signals, which are higher value terahertz (THz) signals. The infrared and visible light sub-bands are valuable frequency range for a number of applications, including networking, multiple access techniques, next-generation mobile networks (6G), future wireless networks, and new PHz communication systems. The importune need to the high frequency signal such as THz and PHz signal for 5 and 6 next generation wireless cellular mobile networks motivate us to design an optical system to provide these signals rather than an electronic circuits. They are also beneficial for a variety of medical testing. The wavelength spacing ranging from 14 nm to 7 nm is proposed and demonstrated a dual-wavelength generation with FWM based on DML is realized at 1554 and 1548 nm. It is essential to make use of the fiber's non-linearity characteristics to ensure synchronization for continuous wave (CW) laser and directly modulated laser (DML) signals and the creation of the four wave mixing (FWM) components. With the help of OptiSystem version 14.0, the system is designed and investigated then, the desired THz signal is created as pulse amplitude modulation. The position of the FWM components within the frequency range between the spectrums of the two lasers affects the synthesis of the required signal. At the DML frequency equal to or below the CW Laser (1520 nm), neither FWM frequency components nor dual wavelength pulses exist. On the other hand, the FWM frequency components and dual wavelength pulses can only be seen when the DML frequency is greater than 1520 nm. The CW laser frequency is the main controlling factor in the generation THz signal. If the CW laser frequency is set at or below 1520 nm, the dual wavelength and THz signal are accessible. Because these frequencies are so far from the reference fiber frequency, it is impossible to produce dual wavelength pulses at frequencies higher than those mentioned above.

Stochastic comparison results between two finite mixture models with generalized Weibull distributed components

In this paper, we establish sufficient conditions for stochastic comparisons of two finite mixture models (FMMs) with respect to the usual stochastic order, hazard rate order, and likelihood ratio order when the mixing components have generalized Weibull family of distributions. The established (sufficient) conditions are mainly based on the majorization order, weak supermajorization order, and weak submajorization order. The stochastic comparisons are studied when there is heterogeneity in one (model) parameter, and then in two parameters (model parameter and mixing proportion). Further, the concept of unordered majorization order is employed to establish the usual stochastic order between two FMMs. To illustrate the theoretical results established here, several numerical examples and counterexamples are presented. Finally, we have generalized some of the results to the case of τ-mixture models.

Enhanced recovery caused by nonlinear dynamics in the wake of a floating offshore wind turbine

An experimental study in a wind tunnel is presented to explore the wake of a floating wind turbine subjected to harmonic side-to-side and fore–aft motions under laminar inflow conditions. The wake recovery is analysed as a function of the frequency of motion $f_p$ , expressed by the rotor-based Strouhal number, $St = f_p D / U_{\infty }$ ( $D$ is the rotor diameter, $U_{\infty }$ the inflow wind speed). Our findings indicate that both directions of motion accelerate the transition to the far-wake compared with the fixed turbine. The experimental outcomes confirm the computational fluid dynamics results of Li et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 934, 2022, p. A29) showing that sideways motions lead to faster wake recovery, especially for $St \in [0.2, 0.6]$ . Additionally, we find that fore–aft motions also lead to better recovery for $St \in [0.3, 0.9]$ . The recovery is closely linked to nonlinear spatiotemporal dynamics found in the shear layer region of the wake. For both directions of motion and $St \in [0.2, 0.55]$ , the noisy wake dynamics lock in to the frequency of the motion. In this synchronised-like state, sideways motions result in large coherent structures of meandering, and fore–aft movements induce coherent pulsing of the wake. For fore–aft motion and $St \in [0.55, 0.9]$ , the wake shows a more complex quasiperiodic dynamic, namely, a self-generated meandering mode emerges, which interacts nonlinearly with the excitation frequency $St$ , as evidenced by the occurrence of mixing components. The coherent structures grow nonlinearly, enhance wake mixing and accelerate the transition to the far-wake, which, once reached, exhibits universal behaviour.

Theoretical analysis of perturbative high harmonic wave mixing from plasma surfaces

High harmonic generation modulated by a weakly perturbing laser field enables new wave mixing frequency components, thus allowing in-situ spatiotemporal measurements and wavefront control of attosecond optical pulses. However, perturbative high harmonic wave mixing from plasma surfaces has not been investigated extensively. In this study, we theoretically analyze the plasma high harmonic generation process in the relativistic regime modulated by a perturbing laser field with an arbitrary frequency. New wave mixing frequency components satisfying the conservation laws of photon energy and momentum are observed. The wave mixing component intensities adhere to a power law for the perturbating laser photon number as the perturbing laser intensity increases, thereby revealing perturbative behaviors in the nonperturbative, extremely nonlinear optical process of high harmonic generation. Detailed studies reveal the polarization selection rule and physical mechanism of high harmonic wave mixing. The modulation of the relativistic factor or mass enhancement of electrons on the plasma surface by the perturbing laser field is believed to result in high harmonic wave mixing in the relativistic regime.

Nd isotope systematics of Late Paleozoic granitoids from the Western Transbaikalia (Russia): Petrological consequences and plume model testing

Late Paleozoic granites of the Angara-Vitim batholith (AVB) occupy an area of 200,000 km2 in Western Transbaikalia (the eastern part of the Central Asian fold belt). Batholith granitoids form a sheet-like body with an average thickness of 7–10 km and a volume of about 1 million km3. The granitoid massifs that make up the batholith are composed of high-potassium calc-alkaline and subalkaline quartz monzonites, quartz syenites, amphibole-biotite granodiorites, and biotite granites of autochthonous and allochthonous facies. An extremely high heterogeneity of the batholith isotopic structure was established, which basically corresponds to the parameters of uneven-aged crustal metaterrigenous protoliths. There are significant variations in εNd(Т) and accordingly T(DM-2) in granitoids of different complexes. It is assumed that the isotopic heterogeneity of AVB was formed due to the melting of a limited protoliths number that are maximally contrasting in isotopic and lithological composition: the Paleoproterozoic continental crust with εNd(Т) ≈ -20 ÷ -22 and T(DM-2) = 2.9–2.5 Ga and Neoproterozoic mafic granulites of increased potassium alkalinity, enriched in the juvenile component (εNd(Т) ≈ -3.0; T(DM-2) = 1.2–1.3 Ga). The latter were the main magmas source of postbatholitic alkali granites. Melts from these contrasting protoliths were only in some cases complementary to the salic melts sources. The main mechanism that determined the isotopic composition of AVB granitoids was the mixing of isotopically contrasting magmas in different proportions. Mingling dikes, mafic inclusions in granitoids, and synplutonic mafic intrusions in the AVB indicate an additional mixing component. It was mafic magma from an enriched mantle reactivated in the Late Paleozoic under the mantle plume influence on the heated plastic crust of a young (Hercynian) orogen.

Innovative thermodynamic modeling for enhanced yeast dough mixing: energy perspectives and applications

A thermodynamic model for the calculation of energy exchange in the chamber of a new mixer with effective use of structural and technological parameters of the mixing process without the necessary introduction of experimental data correlations in the distribution of fluid velocities is proposed, which determines the relevance of this direction of calculation with the perspective of its development. The purpose of the presented work is to determine the specific power by substantiating the effective mode parameters of the preparation of the mixture (dough) as a result of evaluating the thermodynamic energy parameters of the kneading process. The assessment was carried out by developing a methodology for determining specific costs for creating a viscous medium when mixing components, which allows you to establish the required power depending on the design and technological parameters of the new mixer. The considered principle of the proposed open-type thermodynamic system of the description of the working process of mixing made it possible to reveal and determine the ways of converting energy into useful work of interphase heat and mass transfer of a heterogeneous medium. In the conditions of circulation mixing with multiple mechanical effects on the mixture of components in the closed circuit of the cylindrical working chamber, which is an effective way to achieve homogeneity of the environment, it was possible to obtain an analytical determination of the specific work and power of the drive in the absence of a clear description of the model of the interconnection of components. The proposed thermodynamic description of the system's energy balance allows to perform only a few experiments. In general, the practical value of the given calculations is of practical importance for improving productivity and efficiency and minimizing energy consumption for the process while reducing the dynamic loads of the designed mixer.

Chitosan-PVA-PVP/nano-clay composite: a promising tool for controlled drug delivery.

In this study, chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) were used to create ternary blends reinforced with organically modified montmorillonite nanoclay. Tramadol was used as a model drug to assess the efficacy of these ternary blends as drug delivery systems. The current work demonstrated the highly controlled release of tramadol via transdermal administration. The results of the FTIR investigation revealed the compatibility of the blending components. Among non-drug-loaded formulations, MC6 is the most stable with a 17.6% weight residue at 505 °C and MC11 is the most stable of all the drug-loaded and non-drug-loaded formulations with a weight residue of 22.0% at 505 °C. The XRD studies of the prepared formulations showed crystalline behavior. However, the SEM analysis revealed that no gaps or mixing components were uniformly dispersed in the nanocomposites. Pharmaceutical tests, such as swelling, dissolution, and permeation rates, revealed a strong influence of the PVA concentration. There was a uniform distribution of drug throughout the films with maximum encapsulation efficiency found for MC7 (96.09 ± 0.31) and minimum encapsulation efficiency for MC11 (90.56 ± 0.34)%. Compared to the sodium acetate (pH 4.5) and potassium phosphate buffers (pH 6.8) the swelling and erosion were higher in hydrochloric acid buffer (pH 1.2). An increase in PVA concentration (or decrease in PVP concentration) increases the swelling, dissolution, and permeation rates. In addition, erosion increased with increasing PVP concentration. Furthermore, the nanoclay-reinforced composite showed high permeation. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the produced nanocomposite could be used as an efficient transdermal drug delivery system.

Mixing model of Phobos’ bulk elemental composition for the determination of its origin: Multivariate analysis of MMX/MEGANE data

The formation process of the two Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, is still debated with two main competing hypotheses: the capture of an asteroid or a giant impact onto Mars. In order to reveal their origin, the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to measure Phobos’ elemental composition by a gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer called MEGANE. This study provides a model of Phobos’ bulk elemental composition, assuming the two formation hypotheses. Using the mixing model, we established a MEGANE data analysis flow to discriminate between the formation hypotheses by multivariate analysis. The mixing model expresses the composition of Phobos in 6 key lithophile elements that will be measured by MEGANE (Fe, Si, O, Ca, Mg, and Th) as a linear mixing of two mixing components: material from Mars and material from an asteroid as represented by primitive meteorite compositions. The inversion calculation includes consideration of MEGANE’s measurement errors (EP) and derives the mixing ratio for a given Phobos composition, based on which the formation hypotheses are judged. For at least 65% of the modeled compositions, MEGANE measurements will determine the origin uniquely (EP = 30%), and this increases from 74 to 87% as EP decreases from 20 to 10%. Although the discrimination performance depends on EP, the current operation plan for MEGANE predicts an instrument performance for EP of 20—30%, resulting in 70% discrimination between the original hypotheses. MEGANE observations can also enable the determination of the asteroid type of the captured body or the impactor. The addition of other measurements, such as MEGANE’s measurements of the volatile element K, as well as observations by other MMX remote sensing instruments, will also contribute to the MMX mission’s goal to constrain the origin of Phobos.

Bayesian inference on the isotopic building blocks of Mars and Earth

Elements with differing siderophile affinities provide insights into various stages of planetary accretion. The isotopic anomalies they exhibit offer a deeper understanding of the materials responsible for the formation of terrestrial planets. By analyzing new iron isotopic anomaly data from Martian meteorites and drawing insights from published data for O, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Sr, Zr, Mo, Ru, and Si, we scrutinize potential changes in the isotopic composition of the material accreted by Mars and Earth during their formation. Our methodology employs a Bayesian inference method, executed using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm.The Bayesian method helps us balance the task of emulating the compositions of the terrestrial planets (reflected in the likelihood) with the flexibility to explore the isotopic compositions of mixing components within permissible intervals (indicated by the priors of the nuisance parameters). A Principal Component Analysis of isotopic anomalies in meteorites identifies three main clusters (forming the three parts of the isotopic trichotomy): CI, CC=CM + CO + CV + CR, and NC = EH + EL + H + L + LL. We adopt CI, COCV, O, and E as endmember compositions in the mixtures. We are concerned here with explaining isotopic anomalies in Mars and Earth, not their chemical compositions. Previous studies have shown that Earth's chemical composition could not be well explained by solely considering undifferentiated meteorites, as it requires incorporation of a refractory component enriched in forsterite. The endmember chondrite components considered here are assumed to be representative of isotopic reservoirs that were present in the solar nebula, but the actual building blocks could have had different chemical compositions, and we use cursive letters to denote those putative building blocks (CI for CI, COCV for COCV, O for O, and E for E).Because Earth's mantle composition is an endmember for some isotopic systems, it cannot be reproduced exactly by considering known chondrite groups only and requires involvement of a component that is missing from meteorite collections but is likely close to enstatite meteorites. With this caveat in mind, our results suggest that Earth is primarily an isotopic mixture of ~92% E, 6% CI, and < 2% COCV and O. Mars, on the other hand, appears to be a mixture of ~65% E, 33% O, and < 2% CI and COCV. We establish that Earth's CI contribution substantially increased during the latter half of its accretion. Mars began accreting a mix of O and E but predominantly accreted E later.Mars' changing isotopic makeup during accretion can be explained if it underwent gas-driven type I migration from its origin near the O - E boundary to a location well within the E region during the first few million years of solar system history. Earth's later increased CI contribution may be attributed to the stochastic impact of an interloper carbonaceous embryo that moved inside the inner solar system region while nebular gas was still present, and subsequently participated in the stage of chaotic growth.The discovery that a significant portion of Earth's building blocks closely resembles enstatite chondrites contrasts with recent findings of Si isotopic anomalies in enstatite chondrites when compared to terrestrial rocks. We suggest that this discrepancy likely stems from insufficient correction for high-temperature equilibrium isotopic fractionation, whether of nebular or planetary origin. With appropriate adjustments for this influence, both the silicate Earth and enstatite chondrites exhibit comparable Si isotopic anomalies, reaffirming a genetic link between them.

Numerical investigation of turbulent flow and heat transfer characteristics in the improved Kenics static mixer

AbstractThis study focuses on using computational fluid dynamics to explore how well a modified static mixing component called the Kenics static mixer (KSM) increases heat transfer. The purpose of the study is to assess this new static mixer's pressure drop and heat transfer properties. Convective heat transport of water within the improved Kenics static mixer (IKSM) was examined using three‐dimensional turbulent, steady, and incompressible flow simulations. The Nusselt number and friction factor simulation results in the KSM are in good agreement with previous literature findings. Between the simulated outcomes of the IKSM, empty pipe, and standard KSM, a comparison analysis was done. The study considered a range of Reynolds number (Re) values from 2000 to 20,000 and investigated the effects of the Re, slit width configuration (), as well as an aspect ratio () on heat transfer and mixing. Based on the performance evaluation criteria and field synergy number characteristics, the hydrothermal efficiency of the IKSM was evaluated, allowing the geometry to be modified for better heat transmission while lowering the friction factor. Notably, in the 2000–20,000 Reynolds number range, the IKSM with four slits showed a 38%–52% greater heat transfer coefficient than the traditional KSM.

A sustainable approach to manufacture mélange yarn from waste jute fiber and pre-consumer cotton fabric waste using I-optimal mixture design

Today, the exploitation of recycled fibers emanating from textile waste has substantially increased owing to the growing environmental consciousness, legal sustainability mandates, and escalating raw material expenses. Herein, for the very first time, an innovative and sustainable approach was employed to utilize the dyed waste jute fibers accumulated beneath the jute weaving machines to create mélange yarns. Recycled cotton was used as well to reduce the amount of virgin cotton in mélange yarn. First-time, a precise prediction of mixing proportions in mélange yarn was yielded by using an I-optimal mixture design, a part of response surface methodology. The design recommended performing 16 experimental runs with 3 mixing components: dyed waste jute fiber (5–30%), recycled cotton (5–15%) and virgin cotton (55–80%), resulting in the production of 16 distinct yarn samples. Surface response models such as special quartic, special cubic, linear, and quadratic were developed for predicting the yarn unevenness, imperfection, hairiness, strength, and elongation. All the models were found to be statistically significant with p-values below 0.0500. Using desirability functions based on the response models, the optimized mixture components in the yarn were derived to be 15.8% dyed waste jute, 7.4% recycled cotton, and 76.8% virgin cotton fibers. This formulation was used to produce an 18 Ne mélange yarn whose quality parameters closely matched the predicted values, substantiating the effectiveness of the response model in navigating and predicting the attributes of mélange yarn.

Evolution of Vaccines Formulation to Tackle the Challenge of Anti-Microbial Resistant Pathogens.

The increasing diffusion of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across more and more bacterial species emphasizes the urgency of identifying innovative treatment strategies to counter its diffusion. Pathogen infection prevention is among the most effective strategies to prevent the spread of both disease and AMR. Since their discovery, vaccines have been the strongest prophylactic weapon against infectious diseases, with a multitude of different antigen types and formulative strategies developed over more than a century to protect populations from different pathogens. In this review, we review the main characteristics of vaccine formulations in use and under development against AMR pathogens, focusing on the importance of administering multiple antigens where possible, and the challenges associated with their development and production. The most relevant antigen classes and adjuvant systems are described, highlighting their mechanisms of action and presenting examples of their use in clinical trials against AMR. We also present an overview of the analytical and formulative strategies for multivalent vaccines, in which we discuss the complexities associated with mixing multiple components in a single formulation. This review emphasizes the importance of combining existing knowledge with advanced technologies within a Quality by Design development framework to efficiently develop vaccines against AMR pathogens.

Optical dating of sediments affected by post-depositional mixing: Modelling, synthesizing and implications

One of the biggest challenges in optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating is to deal with sediments that are affected by post-depositional mixing. Equivalent dose (De) distributions of such samples are commonly analysed using the finite mixture model (FMM), which can statistically identify dose components of grains derived from sedimentary layers with different ages. The FMM has been increasingly applied in OSL dating of sediments from key geological and archaeological sites that are critical for understanding the evolution of Quaternary environment and human history. The burial age of the dated layer is commonly determined by dividing the De value of the target dose component estimated using the FMM by the total dose rate of the bulk sample. However, a systematic investigation of the reliability of this method for different post-depositional mixing situations has not been conducted. This study aims to investigate the reliability of the burial ages so obtained, using simulated mixed single-grain De distributions. We assess the performances of two different protocols—a user-specified or an automatically estimated between-grain dispersion value, σb. A number of factors influencing the reliability of the determined burial age are investigated, including the inherent dispersion in different dose populations, the proportion of grains associated with the target layer, the sample size used, the difference in dose rates and burial ages between the mixing components, and the time when mixing occurred. Published single-grain samples affected by post-depositional mixing are synthesized and their FMM results are assessed. Our results show that the reliability of FMM is controlled by the analytical and the intrinsic errors and depends critically on the proportion of grains for the target layer. The simulation and synthesized results caution against using an arbitrarily specified σb as input for the FMM. The intrinsic accuracy of the burial age is controlled by multiple factors for both synchronously and asynchronously mixed samples. The FMM ages derived from sediment samples affected by serious post-depositional mixing should be constrained by independent chronological information.